Play for Your Life
by Magical Mistress Sarai
Summary: :Temporary Hiatus: Naruto Uzumaki is the KBI agent in-charge of investigating: The Game, the largest serial murder case in the history of Konoha. People play for time, and every player is in for life. No one knows who controls "The Game", or how, but if you hear the rules, you're playing. How long you live is entirely up to you. -SmartNaru, violence, language-
1. Case File: The Game

**[KBI]**

Konoha Bureau of  
Investigation  
Organized Crimes Investigation Unit

**Case file # 1024586**

**The Game**  
**a.k.a Play for Your Life**  
**Origin: Unknown**  
**Parties involved: Unknown**  
**Interests: Unknown**  
**Suspects could be anyone.**

History and Profile

Has been linked to a series of murders dating back to June of 1998. The Game is considered to be a myth, but recent insurgences of crime have lead us to believe otherwise. Testimony from one suspect allows us to piece together the following information: The Game follows a specific set of rules, which are known only to the players. The people behind the game choose the players. The players do not know their opponents. The object of the game is survival.

Information on the people behind this event has reached a dead end. A briefcase containing "player" information was recovered from the suspect. The briefcase gave us a lead for one, AKAT Corporation, which does not exist according to the Corporate Registry.

Sign Off: Minato Uzumaki

**[Case update #1]**  
**12-17-2010**

The suspect has revealed more information during interrogation regarding the rules of The Game. Subject is also showing increased paranoia. Suspect claims that nowhere is safe and that he must "keep moving"; however, a warrant for his arrest was issued at 10:00am this morning. –No Bail: Flight Risk-

Documentation: [The Game: Rules]

-Once you are told the rules, you are playing the game. Your indication ring will be shipped to your most frequent residence.  
-Player information is given to you via parcel transportation, or through indication rings for higher level players. [It should be noted that higher level players seems to indicate people who have committed multiple counts of murder. Number of potential suspects unconfirmed but believed to be in the hundreds]  
-Player information will contain the name of a target, which player is supposed to "eliminate" from the The Game.  
-Whenever a name is sent to a player's identification ring, their name is sent to another player. [and the cycle continues. Apparent players are kept under constant stress]  
-Players get 24 hours reprieve for a successful "elimination", which should be used for relocation. [Suspects are constantly on the move. Send not to profile department of this development]  
-The Game does not end. The only way to leave is to be eliminated. [If this is true then the people behind The Game may have hundreds of unwilling assassins. While suspects are committing murder, the file should note that a larger threat may exist]

Sign off: Minato Uzumaki

**[Case Update #2]**  
**Date: 12-24-2010**

Suspect was killed in holding cell last night. Shot twice in the chest with a .48 by a police officer from the local precinct. The offending officer escaped incarceration, but was caught on serveilance footage. A.P.B has been initiated for Kakashi Hitake.

Of more intriguing note: a package was delivered to the Bureau this morning from AKAT Corp. I found it on my desk, delivered to me personally. Apparently I have entered The Game. My participation will be completely investigative, but the ring has been sent to the lab. With luck some trace of its origination will be found.

Sign off: Minato Uzumaki

**[Case Update #3]**  
**Date: 01-23-2011**

First note of new agent in charge. Agent Minato was K.I.A. on Christmas eve by subject unknown. Subject is believed to be a participant in "The Game". No further information has be discovered at this time. With the death of Agent Minato's suspect, and his own subsequent death, the trail has grown cold. The indication ring [documented as evidence #400132] that was attached to this case file was missing at the scene.

**[Case file should note: Agent Minato did have chain of evidentiary command for item #400132, but had failed to file it before his death.]**

Sign off: Special Agent In-Charge, Naruto Uzumaki


	2. Introducing Subject 0001

It's cold.

This is the perfect weather for staying indoors, but pleasantries such as that aren't options. As if wanting to perfect its dismal ensemble, the world decides to let it rain… well, not quite rain. Drizzling, yes, it's drizzling… just enough that it can turn to snow, but enough that the water freeze almost on impact.

I reach out a gloved hand toward the gate, its bar are iron—slick as frozen glass. The handle is welded shut by the hours of frigid rain, so I'm going to have to do this the hard way. Planting my foot between the bars, I double-check my hold to make certain it is secure before pushing myself up and flipping over the wrought iron barrier… and I nearly fall on my ass as I stick my landing right on top patch of ice.

So much for double-checking.

With a sharp shake of my head, my hair falls back into place as if no mistake had ever happened. It's more of a curse, I assure you… it never moves—it _always_ stays like this. I've tried dozens of times to change it, but it still looks like a well-groomed duck's ass no matter how long or short. I gave up on it years ago.

My hands agitatedly brush at the front of my coat, smoothing out the wrinkles before I continue on my way. One step into my resumed journey and a sharp pain shoots itself up my leg like an unwanted injection of magma. I must have done something to my ankle when I hit that ice.

…just… great! Really, of all the times…

I muster as much dignity as possible to hobble over to a nearby stone bench, taking a seat and finally getting a gage of my surroundings.

I'm in a park. A fairly nice park, I would assume from the décor… though most of the foliage has gone dormant for the winter and the leaves have fallen off the trees. It's a dim, gray portrait of something beautiful… still beautiful in its on right. At that moment the weather decides to change, and I look up as white flakes begin to fall from the sky, swirling and dancing their way from the heavens… I can help be noticed that they look rather sorrowful in their decent, like ethereal being who know their lifespan is only a trip from sky to earth… and the commemorate the glory of that life in the most graceful way possible.

"You aren't supposed to be in here."

The voice comes from my right, and I turn to look at a wizened old groundskeeper. He's probably worked here for years… completely innocent of most going on in the world. Such a shame… but, then again, no one is truly innocent.

"I won't be here long?" I reply, reaching into my jacket to look for something.

"Need a light?" he asks, "I've got one here."

"No…" my response is colder than the weather, if that's possible. "Are you William How?"

"Do I know you, son?"

"No…" and my response if followed up with a silenced round to his chest.

The man collapses in shock, not even uttering a cry… which is mainly due to the fact that my shot punctured his lung which is now filling with blood. He wouldn't have been able to make a sound if he wanted too. I stand up from the bench and walk over to him, only to see that the old bastard was still breathing. With a frown a bring the gun up once more and release a silenced round into his skull.

It takes a few minutes to locate what I'm looking for: his indicator ring. See? Like I said… no one is innocent. He's a level four, probably made it that far because he looked kinda like Santa Claus. No one expects Santa to be a murderer, or a serial killer for that matter. Taking the ring I slip it into my pocket; I'll mail it off later once I've moved on. Twenty-four hours before the next target… one more elimination… one more day before I could die. Wouldn't that be nice?

The wind whips dark strands of hair across my face as I conceal my weapon once again, and walk off in to the fresh forming blanket of snow.

**Suspect # 0001**  
**a.k.a The Raven**  
**Real name: Sasuke Uchiha**  
**Suspected kill count: 100+**  
**Years in The Game: 11**  
**Classification: extremely dangerous**

**

* * *

**

_~A/N~_

_Welcome to the greatest story ever told in incriments of about 500 words. I know I've been absent for awhile. In my defense: my new year started off with the Flu, followed up with broncitis, then added with an ulcer... plus the need to search for a new job. Fear not, my stories are not stopping merely stalled... so as the LtB, I'm created a way to give you something to read that I can easily sit down a write up if I don't have time (which I have very little of) to work on my main stories._

_Hopefully these two chapters intrigue you because there is so much that I can do with this form of storytelling. Hope you all have fun, hope your holidays were bright... much love!_

_Sarai_


	3. Case File: February 28th, 2011

**[Case Update #25]  
2-28-2011**

It has been over a month without any substantial leads in the investigation, but KBI have a stack of unresolved murder investigations which I believe could be tied to this case. I have several junior agents attached to the case now. A probationary recruit called Shikamaru Nara and a freshmen agent named Kiba Inuzuka.

I assigned them into looking through the KBI's unresolved murder cases going back for the last decade. I have a feeling that this "game" has been going on for far longer than anyone could have anticipated. The "game" runs smoothly now, in its current form, but I feel that if my theory is correct… then they may have screwed up in the beginning. If we go back far enough, we may be able to find traces of cover-up… and if we are truly lucky… evidence of another suspect.

Agent Inuzuka does not agree with my methods. I will have to write him up for insubordination if this continues. Probie officer Nara is invaluable for this job; however, I have never seen someone cabable of shifting through such large quantities of data. He claims to have an eidetic memory… I will have to check his file and see if anyone made mention of this or if he has been keeping this talent hidden. Perhaps he has more ambition that I first realized… if so, that will make him even more eager to make a breakthrough on this case… (note: look up the word eidetic)

**[Case file should note: attached is a formal write up for Kiba Inuzuka on one count of insubordination with a suggested cut in pay for one week.]**

Sign off: Special Agent In-Charge, Naruto Uzumaki


	4. Introducing Subject 0045

I can't tell what is going on anymore…

I've been running for days, dodging bullets, sleeping in rat infested motels, even going so far as to hide out under bridges in large groups of hobos… did you know that hobos had enclaves? I didn't until just recently. Their enclaves saved my life… three of them took bullets for me in the ensuing panic. Bullets that were meant for me…

I don't know who is after me, but it is obvious that they are playing the game far better than I ever could. I've only managed six kills and I've been playing for less than a month. Whoever has my name… they are going to kill me if I don't kill my target…

A girl…

A kid no older than my daughter! How am I supposed to kill her?

Perhaps it is justice? Divine retribution for the deaths I have sacrificed so that I might live? How loathsome have I become?

Even now I am filled with hatred for myself, stalking this girl out of the sheer desperation to have my name removed for 24 sweet hours… and then to have it assigned to a different player, one who will not dog me day and night… who perhaps may be incompetent? Anything other than this hidden fury that stakes my dreams and my waking hours.

"Ouch!"

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" I look down and see that I have practically run over this old woman in my daze. I haven't been paying attention to where I am walking.

"It's quite alright, sonny…" the old woman smiles, her wrinkled cheeks cracking as she move out of my way, "You must be after something important to be in such a rush on a nice day like this."

"Nice… yeah," it is impossible to hide the derision in my voice.

"Ah…" she nods knowingly, "One of those days."

"It's been one of those weeks," I mutter, running a hand haggardly through my hair, I can't stop myself from sweating. I'm out here in the open for what reason exactly? Hoping to catch a glimpse of this girl on her way home from school… but, if she is playing the game, would she even go to school anymore?

"I'm sure things will fix themselves," I hear the old woman, but I am not paying her any mind.

My eyes are darting across the streets and sidewalks, looking for any sign of my prey… all I need is that telltale flash of pink, that bright hair that only she has.

"Are you listening to me, sonny?" the old woman barks.

I draw my gaze around and find myself looking down the barrel of a .45 caliber barrel… and then the world to dark with a sound of thunder.

The old woman quickly and quietly vanishes into the crowd and down an alley. Later when the police arrive to investigate they will discover the discarded handgun, a gray wig, a pile of gelatinous mass that will later be analyzed and revealed to be liquid latex compound…

But as the old woman exits from the other end of the alleyway, she is no longer the wizened creature from the street before, rather she is buxom, blonde bombshell… or show she tells herself every morning, and she has just knocked off her latest target for the game… target that should easily cement her as one of the top five contenders in The Game.

**Suspect # 0045**  
**a.k.a The Crone**  
**Real name: Tsunade Baachan**  
**Suspected kill count: unknown**  
**Years in The Game: 20+**  
**Classification: Reaper**

**[Case Note: this is nothing but speculation, but information from the criminal underworld suggests that the Crone is currently the fourth Highest ranked player in The Game]**


	5. Case File: March 30th, 2011

****Don't look now, but it's a ghost... *whooooo ooohhh whooo!*

Yes, Sarai knows... she vanished again. *slaps her own wrist* Bad Sarai! Bad!

Now that that is out of the way, people are possibly, maybe, slightly wondering what is happening to TABS and Naruto: Kurashio. Um... I don't know yet. I have had a great deal of change happen in the past year, between a change of employment and living area... I had to prioritize things. Frankly, I have lost my notes on those stories in the move and because of losing those notes I really have no idea where I was headed with them. THIS story, I never really planned it out. PFYL was meant to be a series of 500 word dabbles (a little more in some cases) that would eventually lead somewhere. It is a nice little creative outlet, and I managed to find some old files relating to it on my portable hard drive.

Hopefully these small updates will give a little bit of a broader range to the story, and allow readers to see more of the scope and format that it will follow.

As always, I love getting reviews, and the more reviews I get the more encouraged I am to actually continue doing this (as this really is only a job that I do for other people... hoping to get their feedback and learn that they like what they are reading).

* * *

**[Case Update # 33]  
03-30-2011**

Agent Inuzuka continues to be insubordinate, but I cannot fault him for his eagerness to get out of the office… and though I am not willing to condone his methods of interacting with the unsavory elements of society, he has been able to uncover several stories about potential subjects.

Apparently the criminal underworld is rife with information about this "game". It may not surprise anyone reading these case notes, but an entire subculture has developed around following the "game's" events… statistics, players, kill counts, rankings… all such things are kept track of, but sadly most of it is based upon hearsay and rumor.

We found out today that a series of trading cards exist for the highest level players in the game. I have Inuzuka attempt to track down as many of these cards as he can. If we are lucky they will have some grain of information we can go on… and if the gods are smiling upon me, perhaps they will have legitimate photographic evidence. Criminals are nothing if not stupid…

**[Case Note: ****attached is a formal write up for Kiba Inuzuka on one count of insubordination with a suggested cut in pay for one week.]**

Sign off: Special Agent In-Charge, Naruto Uzumaki

**[Case Update #34]  
04-07-2011**

I am glad that I didn't rest any hope upon these "trading cards". They are practically useless. All of the pictures are hand drawn, most by famous artist with a penchant for dealing in… less than reputable, recreational pastimes. We have brought many of the artist in for questioning, but none of them have met the subjects of their… fascination. All the artistic representation of the players come from word of mouth descriptions.

About the only useful information we have been able to pull from these cards are "kill records", small blurbs on the back of trading cards that give scantly detailed and often highly exaggerated accounts of the "player's" more remarkable kills.

I am having Agent Nara attempt to cross reference these kill records with the list of unresolved murders that we have determined to be connected with the case. With any luck, we may find a few matches… with a few matches we may be able to start narrowing down suspects.

**[Case Note: attached to update are all copies of the "Kill Cards" as they are called. We have located nine cards detailing five different players. The players are identified as follows – Name(number of cards)**

**The King(2), The Crone(2), The Raven(3), The Cheerleader(1), The Toad(1)**

**Little information is given as to how the players are assigned their codenames, and no information has surfaced as to their actual identities yet.] **


	6. Introducing Subject 0021

He'd been in this diner for the past three days.

The waitress had noticed him the first night he had arrived… wearing a long black trench coat. She couldn't see his eyes, for they were shielded by the brim of the had which he wore, but those long, obsidian locks of hair glistened and shone… this man, mysterious as he was, definitely took pride in his appearance.

Every day he ordered the same thing: cup of black coffee, three creamers. Once he had his order, he would sit there and watch the street as if waiting for something. He drank his coffee, watched for another hour… and then he left. The next day he was back and the routine repeated.

Today was the third day, and it was also the first time the waitress had made eye contact with the man. He looked at her, and his eyes… dark red… spoke of death and sorrow.

She set his coffee down in front of him and quickly hurried away, disappearing into the kitchen.

The man picked up his coffee, added the creamers, and stirred… same as the past few days. The waitress could see this through the hole where the "order up" counter was, but she didn't want to go back out there… not yet.

Today… there was just something different about today.

The man took a sip of his coffee before setting it down. He returned to looking out the window, when suddenly a look of surprise came over him. He set eyes upon someone in the street and quickly stood up, throwing some bills on the table and then hurried for the door.

He never made it…

The man had barely taken three steps before he stopped, going rigid and clutching his chest. With a groan, the one beautiful man dropped to his knees, a small trail of foaming saliva dripping from his mouth as he collapsed to the floor… dead upon arrival.

The waitress walked out from behind the counter, stepping over the man, and through the commotion of the other diner patron, shouting out for someone to call an ambulance, as she picked up the man's coffee mug, completely unnoticed. As the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance, the waitress vanished into the kitchen, pouring the coffee down the drain, and removing all evidence of the murder weapon as she washed the cup clean with bleach.

**Suspect # 0021a.k.a The CheerleaderReal name: Sakura HarunoSuspected kill count: 20+Years in The Game: less than 1**

**Classification: Stealh**


	7. First Lead

Naruto Uzumaki stood looking out his office window.

Below him, several stories below, resided a city full of ordinary people… mundane people with no knowledge that the person standing to their immediate right was in fact a cold, heartless murderer. Thousands of citizens bustled to-and-fro, completely oblivious to the sick game that went on within the populace… a game of blood waged with people's lives, ran by some mysterious conglomerate that, according to public record, did not exist.

The entire concept only served to create a headache for the Special Agent In-charge of the investigation into "The Game", as it were called.

Game…

Only a twisted monster would call a blood sport like this _a game_, he thought to himself.

Still, if one were to look at it, Naruto himself were playing this game. As he stood here, the investigator pondered the similarity between himself and the people he was after. Naruto was hunting down the players, attempting to bring them to justice, which in fact would lead to their executions after a lengthy trial process... if they were proven guilty. In the same way, the people playing "The Game" were hunting for one another, doling out executions in order to continue living. Was he truly any better than the shadowy figures behind these rash of murders?

He had to be. Naruto had steeled his resolve long ago, back on that night when "The Game" had claimed his father's life. That night, Naruto swore to himself that he would bring those responsible to justice. He would end "The Game"… once and for all… and then he would get on with his life.

Letting out a deep sigh, the blonde haired agent ran a hand through his unruly hair, straightening out the front of his suit as he walked back over to his desk. There had been another murder reported last night, a mysterious poisoning without a single lead. It fit under the heading of his investigation… which meant yet another long night and even less sleep for the weary investigator.

Naruto picked up the one decoration on his desk, a small photo framed in a simple, silver antique… it held his most prized possession: the only picture he had of his father.

"I don't know what I'm doing, dad," he whispered, "I feel like I'm going around in circles."

At that moment, one of his probational officers knocked on his door, "Sir!"

Naruto turned around, "What is it, Hinata?"

The timid girl held out a small, square parcel, "This just arrived for you. Thought you might want to take a look at it."

He took the package, a square… platinum colored container with nothing but a black circle on top. Turning it over, he could see no seams or latches with which to open it… there were no buttons. "Odd…" Naruto murmured, "Do we know who sent it?"

"Nossir," Hinata said quickly, "It arrived by courier."

"Did anyone sign for it?"

"Negative again, sir."

He carried the cube with him as he went behind his desk and took a seat, laying the strange item in the center of his barren desk. Taking a moment to ponder this quirky item which had come into possession, Naruto brushed the top of it off, as if dusting it, his thumb barely grazing the black circle.

**_-Identification Confirmed: Naruto Uzumaki. Special Agent. Kohona Bureau of Investigation. Stand by for initiation.-_**

The box then gave the softest whir of some unseen mechanism before it split open down the middle, horizontally and vertically, the pieces opening out to the side to reveal a plush, black velvet cushion, upon which lay a small, silver ring. Tiny speakers were imbedded into the pieces of the box, through which a mechanical voice began speaking.

"_Dear player, congratulations upon being accepted into The Game. You have now begun to play for the greatest prize you could ever conceive… your life. In exactly twenty-four hours, your game ring will give you the name of your first opponent. Be warned that your name will also be given to another player. It is a race against time. Will you kill… or be killed? The choice is yours. Good luck._"

With that the speakers popped and fizzled, small plumes of smoke wafting into the air.

"Sir…" Hinata looked worried, her pale eyes betraying the fear that she felt. "We need to put you under protective surveillance!"

"No…" Naruto picked up the ring, looking at it strangely, "This is the first genuine lead we've ever gotten."

"I don't understand…" Hinata protested, "They just said someone is going to try and kill you."

"Yes," Naruto nodded, placing the ring back on the velvet, "But they have also given us two devices that had to come from somewhere. Get these down to the lap ASAP. See if they can pull any data from that box, a copy of that recording… anything… and have them examine that ring. If we can find something special about it; we may be able to use that to our advantage when trying to track down the other players in this sick game."

"Right away, sir!" Hinata scooped up the box and rushed out of the office.

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest, turning his chair to face the night skyline viewable from his office window. Was it purely coincidence, or was he actually getting close to something… close enough the people behind the game would want him dead? Or was this some way to amuse themselves? Perhaps they thought he would actually try and hunt someone down to preserve his own life…

That was completely out of the question. Naruto would never kill someone without just cause. If someone came after him, that was another story… but he would not play this game, not by their rules anyway.

"So…" he smirked at the darkness, "game on."

* * *

**A/N**

**Hey! Look at that! A turning point, and a Naruto chapter with actual stuff happening, not just case notes!**

**Before you ask me, No! I haven't gone completely mad! :P But I did get a general idea of where this story was going, and I wanted to let people know that these events were happening in a chronological order. So! Here's this chapter.**

**I love reviews. They make me happy. Don't you want to make me happy? ^.^**


	8. Introducing Subject 0331

The shot rang out from the darkness behind him, and Sasuke ducked as the bullet exploded into the wall in front of him, pelting him with chunks of brick and mortar.

Not willing to risk looking back or standing still to offer up a target for the next shot, the raven-haired man tucked and rolled. He went crashing through a street level window, tumbling through a shower of glass and grime and window pane, and spilled out into the dank, cold recess of an unlit basement.

This was not his night. He'd lost his target down an alleyway, and apparently whoever had him as a target was now on his tail.

The hunter had become he hunted.

It's been a long time since he'd had to run for his life. A very long time. The feeling of heightened awareness, the adrenaline rush, the pounding of his heart… Sasuke had missed this, this sensation of being alive. It was why he had started playing the game so earnestly in the first place.

He'd grown up a rich, privileged kid, wanting for nothing. It was a golden road which quickly lead to drug abuse, trips in and out of rehab, and the eventual crossroads of suicide. Yes, the famed pretty boy Sasuke Uchiha had wanted to off himself.

Such a thing seemed so silly to him now. He'd even put on the game ring hoping that someone would kill him. That wouldn't have been suicide, right? He could still cheat the system and maybe get into heaven?

But fate had been much crueler to him than to allow him to die. No. It had shown him that he still wanted to live, still wanted his life… still valued himself.

Yes.

This sick game had taught Sasuke the value of human life… and now he was stuck playing until the end of his days. Which could be in the next few minutes for all he knew. Fate was a cruel bitch like that.

Reaching into his black hoodie, Sasuke checked his own weapon. It was still fully loaded and his hands were steady. The sound of feet crunching on pavement told him that this show down was going to happen soon. Ducking behind a row of boxes, Sasuke Uchiha prepared to fight for the one thing on damned planet that he cared for: himself.

Then the lights came on.

"I know you're in here," a voice called out. But rather than come from outside the window, it came from the entrance to the basement.

A third person? Sasuke wondered. He didn't have time to worry about it, he leapt out from his hiding place and trained his gun on the man who had spoken… and low and behold it was his target. The old business man, who was entirely too cautious for his own good and had ducked Sasuke back in the alley, had returned for some reason, and he looked terrified to see Sasuke with a gun trained on him.

At that same time another figure came rolling through the window, a twin pair of pistols aimed at Sasuke. It was a boy only slightly younger than himself, with pale white skin and long black hair… and insanely beautiful, with an accent on the insane. This boy looked as if he hadn't slept in days.

He probably hadn't. The Game was kind to no one.

Such an instance to prove this point was presented to Sasuke now. The three of them were frozen at a standoff. Obviously no one wanted to die, and obviously they were all a target to one of the other men in the room. If one person twitched wrong… they could all three die hear tonight, and no one wanted that outcome.

"Please…" the old man begged, "I didn't ask for this. I have children."

"We all had lives before this pops," the pale young man sneered, "Why should I let you kill me for some brats I've never met?"

So the old man needed to kill the boy… and the boy wanted to kill Sasuke. All Sasuke had to do was kill the codger and this night would end. He'd get a twenty-four hour reprieve… and then the living hell would resume.

"Hey you," Sasuke said to the boy.

"What?!" the pale youth spat back.

"How eager are you to kill me tonight?"

"Honestly?" the kid looked from the old man and then at Sasuke, "I'm more interested to stay alive."

"That's what I thought…"

Without hesitation, Sasuke pulled the trigger. The bullet flew cleanly through the businessman's left eye, splattering the wall behind him with blood and cerebral tissue. With nothing more than a slight gurgle, the old man collapsed to the floor. The Game had ended for tonight.

"That was risky," the kid smirked, holstering his guns inside his unbuttoned vest, concealing the small pistols perfectly.

"Not exactly," Sasuke muttered, walking over to the dead body and picking up the gun. "His safety was still on. I figure this was his first target… he was way too jittery to be a seasoned player, and people who play this game to win… they don't beg."

"That's a lot of assuming."

"Instinct." Sasuke countered.

"I take it you've been at this a while then?"

"Longer than you would believe," the raven sighed.

"Well… until the next time you're on my list," the kid grinned, "It was fun hunting you."

"If you get my name again," Sasuke warned, "It won't be."

With a shrug the boy walked back over to the window, "See you around, Sasuke."

The raven froze, looking back toward the pale boy. "You know my name?"

Smirking, the kid brought up his right hand and pointed to the silver ring on his middle finger, "Duh!"

This was an unfortunate outcome, which Sasuke should have remembered. The kid had been hunting him, which means he had Sasuke's name… which meant after tonight he could go and do all the research he wanted. Sasuke had survived this long by making certain that no one playing the game knew who "the raven" actually was.

Tonight really wasn't his night.

"It would seem you have me in a precarious situation," Sasuke said grimly, bringing his gun up to bear on the kid.

In a flash, much faster than Sasuke could have thought possible, both pistols had been upholstered and were pointed at his head, "Yeah… sometimes people get shit luck." The kid still had that annoying smirk on his face. "Tell you what. I'll give you my name, and we'll call it even. I know what it's like having the advantage of anonymity, losing it means giving power over to someone else."

Sasuke thought about it, "What's to keep you from putting my name up for sale on the Undermarket?"

"The same thing that will keep you from selling mine," the kid's demeanor became completely serious, "We don't want the other players knowing who we are."

"Fine." Sasuke tucked his gun back into his hoodie, feeling like he was going to regret this night.

"Glad you could see my logic," the pale youth followed suit, holstering his weapons again before he offered Sasuke his hand, "I'm Sai."

**Suspect # 0331  
a.k.a The Artist  
Real name: Sai Radice  
Suspected kill count: 50+  
Years in The Game: 7  
Classification: extremely dangerous**

* * *

_**A/N**_

_**To my knowledge, Sai does not have a last name, therefore I went and looked for a foreign word that means "root"… and came up with radice, which is Italian. I think it fits.**_

_**Also, I've been asked why are the suspect numbers so varied. Well you see... this game has a LARGE body count. The KBI has ways of detecting which murders they believe are "natural" murders, which fall under a different investigation branch, and "game" murders. If a body they find is believed to be a victim of The Game, the KBI opens a file for them as a suspect. They then investigate the deceased, determine if they were connected to any deaths of current suspects, their connections to current living suspects, and if they had any hand in unsolved murder in Konoha prefects that might lead them to find new suspects living or dead. Every body is a piece of evidence with potential leads... sad really.**_

_**Of course all of this will be explained in the story... eventually.**_

_**Yeah, this one is also a little bit longer than normal, but I wanted to continue moving the story along. To do that I needed to continue developing characters, but also continue to introduce players in the game (so that there are people to kill later on. :P). Thus, this scene was born.**_

_**Hope you enjoyed it. Trying to take the story in a more logical direction. Leave me a review to tell me how I'm doing.**_


	9. Case File: May 23, 2011

**[Case Update #40]**  
**05/23/2011**

I am attaching the laboratory examination documents to the file.

Both of the ring and the box came back without any significant findings. Apparently the electrical systems in the box were designed to self destruct. The wiring, circuit boards, and mechanisms were all fried beyond repair. No data was recovered. We were able to track down the courier service who delivered the package; however, the delivery was paid for in cash and registered to AKAT Corp. So it ended up being a dead end.

The ring on the other hand is made of platinum. It's an expensive metal, but not particularly hard to find. Many jewelers carry all sorts of expensive items made out of the material. It's not like we can arrest every citizen wearing a platinum ring and bring them in for questioning.

The lab technicians did make a note, referencing that there was a small amount of electrical interference coming from the ring, which might indicate nano-circuitry. We don't have the technology to find out at this time, but we are searching for labs outside the district and calling in experts. Unfortunately they won't yield results within the next five hours.

That's apparently how much time is left before the ring gives me it's first victim. I've decided that I will attempt to track down the target. If I can arrest the person, they may be able to provide information about "The Game" from and insider's perspective. Many of the probational agents are worried, and my superiors are demanding that I take proper precaution against assassination attempts. Protective details have been arranged to follow me every step of the way, and to watch my house, but I can't help but thinking that the people who play this game would be too cunning to try and come at me in such obvious locations.

My face is too popular for me to hide. Nearly everyone in the country knows that I am investigating these "cadre of serial killers" as the Press calls them. As soon as one of them gets my name for a target, I'm expecting they will come after me. It make put them in danger, but I make for one heck of a pay day. It's not like they have to track me down.

I'll be ready though. I've informed my superiors that I will make any and all attempts to apprehend the suspects alive, but if it comes down to it… I have been authorized with "shoot-to-kill" orders. I'm not certain how I feel about this, but I refuse to die. Not now that I am so close.

**[lab test data attached]**


	10. Introducing The King

**A/N : So this chapter is longer than normal... so... enjoy?**

* * *

The diner had gotten a lot of press from the murder which had taken place just 48 hours ago. It was a sad commentary on the mentality of the people living in this city. A man dies in a diner, news stations cover the man's murder, and then civilians flock to said diner to see the place where someone died. How sick was that?

It wasn't like Sakura could really judge them, considering she had killed the man. In fact, ever since she had received this ring in the mail, she had killed over two dozen people. That man's face blurred into being just one of many. The pink haired girl fidgeted with the silver ring, spinning it around her middle finger as she thought dismally about the path her life had taken.

She'd only heard about the game from a friend of hers. He had been bragging about how cool he was gonna be, like a hitman or Judge Dredd. He'd told her all about the rules, and how he was going to be cleaning up the town, getting rid of useless people.

Sakura had been frightened of him, but she had never expected that he would have dragged her into it. She didn't know how they found her house, or how they even knew that she knew the rules, but, less than a week after her friend had mentioned it to her, that silver box had appeared on her front doorstep. Since then her life had been a double one.

On the outside, she was Sakura Haruno, a popular, somewhat pretty girl at her school. She worked a job to help her mother pay rent, and she got excellent grades in school. No one would ever suspect that when she would go out at night to "party" that she was actually hunting down other human beings… her targets certainly hadn't expected it. It was an advantage in this game, and advantage she was more than willing to make use of.

"Order up!" the chef shouted at her.

Grabbing the two plates of breakfast foods, Sakura stepped out from behind the counter and walked across the diner to deposit the plates on their respective tables. It was routine, and she performed this task almost robotically. Many of the diner's patrons probably couldn't tell, most of them didn't even know her, but today she was in a funk. Sakura was generally a people person, one who would be chatty with her customers. Today she was sullen and distant, her mind elsewhere as she contemplated how to locate the new target she had just received.

"Excuse me, miss?" a voice called out to her.

Sakura turned to see a man waving at her from the far booth in the corner. He was oddly dressed, in a black business suit with fine, silver pinstripes. That wasn't the unusual part. No, the unusual part was his platinum colored hair that shot up into the sky, the black and silver pinstriped, silk eye patch over his left eye, and the black scarf around his neck that covered his mouth. She couldn't really see any distinguishing features on this guy besides his hair.

Sakura then took note of where he was sitting. It was the only booth in the diner that wasn't in view of a window, it also have a complete view of the rest of the diner… it was the Bill Hitchcock seat as some would call it. It would be the seat Sakura chose if she were eating there. Why? Because there were fewer chances of someone getting the drop on you.

This man was a player in The Game; Sakura could feel it in her bones… a sixth sense she had developed while struggling to keep her life normal, yet still fight to stay alive.

Plastering on her best waitress smile, she grabbed a pot of coffee and walked over to the man, "Hi, there! What can I get for you?"

"Why don't you have a seat, Miss Haruno?" the man offered a hand to the booth seat across from him. Sakura wasn't keen to take this seat, as she would have her back to the rest of the diner. "I insist…" he said with a smile. She could tell he was smiling from the way his cheekbones moved the fabric of the scarf.

Sakura had no desire to start a scene, so she relented, but rather than take the seat he had offered, she sat down right next to him.

"Clever girl," the man sounded impressed, "Though I'm afraid you may have mess up with your last job."

"Why what ever do you mean?" Sakura played dumb waitress very well.

"Let's just say that people, who have played this _game _as long as I have, have developed the ability to discern when a homicide is truly a random act of violence… or a clue to finding our next target. I'll let you guess how easily it was to figure out which one poor Itachi's was over there," the stranger pointed to where Sakura's victim had died.

"Are you here for me," Sakura asked, seemingly calm. However she was ready in a heartbeat to break her coffee pot over the man's head and slit his throat with a shard of the glass.

"Oh, heaven's no!" the silver haired man acted horrified. "I never introduce myself to a potential client."

"You haven't introduced yourself yet" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, then forgive me," he offered her a gloved hand, "You can call me Raikou."

"Lightning?" she said skeptically.

"Yes," the man shrugged flippantly, "Unfortunately in our line of work, to be anonymous has its advantages."

"One that you have taken away from me," Sakura gritted her teeth to suppress her anger.

"I'm afraid you took it away from _yourself_ by acting rashly. Not only that but every one of your jobs has happened within the district where you live… you think that won't draw attention?" The man scoffed, "Not only that, but Itachi was a highly ranked player. To be taken out by a relative _newb _like yourself… it garnered considerable attention from people you don't want drawing your name."

Sakura bristled at being called a newb. This man was old enough to be her father, yet he talked as if they were playing video games on a Saturday morning. She knew that her entry into the game had been recent, in fact she had even spent a month trying not to get sucked into it… that had worked out wonderfully.

"So what do I do?" she finally asked, tired of small talk.

"See I knew you were a clever girl," the man turned to lock his one eye on her, and it was filled with eagerness, "Take advantage of knowledge and experience when they are offered to you."

"Still waiting," she yawned.

"And work on that attitude, I liked you much better when you were the fake waitress."

"So do most men."

"I'm certain…" he chucked, "First you are going to want to change jobs. Tell the manager you can't work in a place where someone was killed. It will throw stupid players off your trail and keep the police and federal investigators from being suspicious of you for now. If you don't make a mistake like this again, they may never trace the job to you. Secondly you should start moving. Tell your mother you are going off to a far away college, come up with something… but get out of town. Hunt your targets and stay on the move. Dress average, but stand out just enough that people won't think you are trying to be inconspicuous…"

"Wait," she placed her hands on the table, "I can't do any of this! I can't leave my mom."

"You can, and you must," the silver haired man said bluntly, "Unless you want her to wake up one morning to discover her daughter has been murdered for reasons unknown to anyone but you and I... and the player who drew your name."

The man stood up and gestured that he was ready to leave, politely scooting Sakura out of his way, "The choice is your's of course, but no player has ever survived by staying in the same place. You may want your old life, you may wish this had never happened, but the reality of things is this: your old life was over the day you put on that ring, and if you want to keep what life you have now? Listen to someone who's be playing longer than you have been alive."

With that he kissed her on the forehead, which he found to be a rather large area, and walked out of the diner, leaving Sakura utterly confused and deathly afraid.

**Player Currently not a suspect of the KBI  
****A.K.A Raikou, Lightning, The King  
****Real Name: Kakashi Hatake  
Years Playing: 20  
****Classification: Godlike  
Current Ranking: #1**


	11. Case File: May 24th, 2011

**[Case Update #41]5/24/2011**

It's been twenty-four hours since the ring gave me a name. It was the strangest thing I had ever seen; the name literally carved itself into the platinum. It is there, engraved and everything. The lab doesn't have the kind of equipment to study the ring properly, so I have put in requests for new equipment, though without more to show for my efforts in this case I feel that it is unlikely the department will give us further funding.

I'm having very little luck locating the man. His name is Gaara Kaze, and the most recent public records we can find are from six years ago. He's supposed to be my age. How does someone just disappear like that? I've gone to the underground, trying to see if any of the fanatics who are obsessed with these players in "The Game" have any knowledge, but of course they informed me that players guard their real names as well as they guard their lives. It was another dead end.

There is some good news; however, the John Doe whom we found murdered at a diner in the Lower West district was identified as Itachi Uchiha, son of a rather well known businessman. Apparently the two of them have been estranged for many years, but I plan on questioning the family nonetheless. I may give me some leads.

**[Case Update #42]5/26/2011**

I can't help shake this feeling that I am being followed. Of course none of my protective detail have picked up anything, and I could be paranoid… but I feel for certain that I have seen a police officer on the street every time I leave a building. It isn't unusual for the KPD to be out in force these days, but the same police officer?

Hinata tells me that I must be imagining it, but something tells me that I'm right.

I interviewed Fugaku Uchiha today. The man seemed very callous for someone being informed of their son's death. It made my skin crawl; I almost understood why Itachi would be estranged from his father. I had only been in the room for twenty minutes and I wanted nothing more to do with the man. I did find out some interesting information from the business side of my investigation. Fugaku informed me that AKAT Corp could be an abbreviation or an acronym, which might lead us somewhere. He also said that it could be a off shore holding account, which is currently out of our jurisdiction, but I'll have Kiba look into it. He hates doing paperwork and this will definitely make him grateful for the next field assignment I give him.

I'm attaching several documents recovered from Itachi's appartment. He was apparently tracking down a player called "The Toad" as his next target. No last name as of yet, but if Itachi's murder happened in the diner, then it is possible he was here looking for this individual. I'll have an agent check it out and see if it leads anywhere.

**[following attached documents are photos, old letters, and several street maps recovered from the residence of Itachi Uchiha]**


	12. The Consequences

Naruto was pacing quietly around his bedroom.

Something had felt off the entire day, had felt off almost the entire week, and he couldn't put his finger on it. If he didn't know any better, he would have said he was hallucinating. He kept seeing a police officer everywhere he turned, but he was never able to catch a face. All Naruto kept seeing was a man in blue police attire, the flash of a golden badge every so often as the figure vanished from the corner of his eye, and a glimpse of pale skin… but nothing he saw was anything to go on.

The members of his protective detail swore that they hadn't seen anything, and the investigators of the KBI were some of the best individuals when it came to spotting strange behavior patterns.

In fact, as Hinata had brought to his attention, the only person exhibiting strange behavior patterns recently had been Naruto.

She was right, the golden haired man finally acknowledged. Ever since that ring had given him a name, as if by magic, he had been on edge, jumpy, looking at every shadow as if something might jump out at him. He blamed his father for his current mental duress, something a psychologist would have a field day with, but such was the truth of things.

Minato Namikaze had been Head Investigator of the KBI for five years, and before that he had served in the same position Naruto now held. Naruto's father had been a legend, far more skilled than the blonde ever thought he would be… and this investigation had taken the life of such a great man. There were times, when Naruto was alone like this, where he felt that he wasn't skilled enough to cut it. He wasn't as smart as his father, nor was he as capable of handling office bureaucratic politics. But Naruto was persistent, if anything, and he never let something be until he was certain of the outcome.

Just then the doorbell rang.

Shaking himself from his mental dilemma, Naruto headed downstairs to open the door. It was probably one of the neighborhood kids. If it were truly anything to worry about, the protective detail outside wouldn't have even let the person get to the front steps.

Naruto reached his front entryway, turning the deadbolt, and opened his door. Standing there was a rather large man, over six feet tall. He had spiky, dark brown hair and his face was covered in medical bandages, save for his eyes. Inconspicuously, Naruto reached for his gun with his left hand. He hadn't opened the door complete, and the entire left side of his body, including his hip and gun holster, where hidden from view.

"I'm looking for Hinata Hyuga." The man's voice was deep baritone, and he spoke with very little expression. There wasn't even the hint of question in his voice. He knew she was hear, but why?

"Can I help you?"

"I have already told you how you can help me," the man said bluntly.

"She's not here," Naruto smiled, playing coy. "Can I take a message."

"Don't play with me," the man growled, "I don't have time for this..."

The man's words were cut off by the soft whip-zing sound that rang out through the night, just before a bullet lodged itself in Naruto's door frame.

"Move out of the way!" the man shouted, diving past Naruto just as several more shots whirred towards the doorway.

Naruto hit the floor, rolling backwards and kicking his door closed, several bullets impacting and splintering the wood as it slammed shut. Naruto cleared his gun from its holster in under a second, training it upon the man who had forced his way inside, "Don't move!"

"I'm not the one you have to worry about!" the man hissed, staying low, "You have no idea what you're involved in do you, boy!?"

"You're talking about The Game?" Naruto questioned.

"No, I'm talking about tea with the Queen of England," the stranger snarled with dripping sarcasm.

"Who's out there?"

"I dunno," the man chuckled, "They could be after me…" there was a evil glint in his eyes, "Or you."

"And Hinata?" Naruto growled, "What do you want with her?" He ducked as several other gunshots echoed from outside; though Naruto could tell that these were different weapons, apparently someone else had opened fire. He assumed it was his protective detail.

"This was a bad idea," stranger growled, "I never should have come here; too many people are interested in you, pretty boy. I couldn't pass up a chance like this though."

"A chance for what?" Naruto had never been this close to an actual suspect involved in the case. He wanted answers.

Unfortunately the stranger never got the chance to give them.

The sound of gunfire blared from behind Naruto, and the man in front of him flew back, hit directly in the head by an expert shot. Jerking around from reflex, Naruto brought his gun up, training his sights upon the new shooter and came face to face with Hinata pointing a gun at the man who was now a corpse on Naruto's living room floor.

"You alright, sir?" Hinata asked with a waver in her voice. For all Naruto had could tell, this was the first time she had ever fired her weapon outside of the practice range, and now she had killed a man.

"I'm fine Hinata," Naruto groaned, going over to the body, but still keeping away from windows, "What about the men outside?"

"No one was injured," Hinata lowered her weapon, "But the shooter got away. We think he was perched in an apartment unit across the street."

A quick check for the stranger's pulse revealed that he was indeed dead. Gauging from the .45 caliber bullet wound in the man's skull, Naruto probably shouldn't have bothered checking; however, there was one thing he did want to look for.

The blonde investigator holstered his weapon and started examining the man's hands, looking for a silver ring that would have identified him as a player in The Game, but he had no luck there. Naruto then began searching the man's pockets, on his pants and inside of the overcoat he'd been wearing.

"What are you looking for?" Hinata's voice was still quivering… only Naruto now knew why.

"This," he said, standing up and holding out a silver ring in one hand. Even in the dim light of the living room, with ten feet in between them, it was obvious what the black engraving on the ring read: Hinata Hyuga.

Naruto's gun was trained on her faster than the girl could react. The girl jumped at how quickly Naruto's demeanor became cold. "How long?" he asked, blue eyes harsh as ice in winter waiting for any indication that Hinata might attempt to flee or open fire on him.

"A year…"she whispered, lowering her gun to let him know that she had no intention of firing.

"All that time…" Naruto sighed in disbelief, "All that time and you could have let me know? You've been on the investigation! You could have given us leads!"

"You think I have leads?!" Hinata cried, throwing her arms out. "I got to bed at night, terrified that someone is going to murder me in my sleep! I don't know who is coming after me, and I never know who they are going to tell me to kill! All I know is that if I don't play… then someone shows up like that man there, and then I'm dead!"

Naruto snarled in disgust. He couldn't believe that a player had been under his nose this whole time, "You could have asked for help."

"From you?" Hinata laughed hysterically, "You're in the same mess I'm in! That shooter out there? He wasn't aiming for that guy, Naruto!" Hinata pointed to the bandaged-faced corpse. "He was aiming for you."

"I'll deal with that when the time comes," the blonde ignored her, "Right now you're under arrest for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and suspicion of murder. You have the right to remain silent."

"Don't do this…" Hinata begged, looking to her left as the two other agents in the protective detail appeared, one pointing a gun at her and the other advancing with handcuffs, "Please!"

"You have the right to an attorney," Naruto continued, "If you cannot afford one, then one will be provided to you at government expense."

"Don't touch me!" Hinata took several steps backwards, bringing her gun to bear on the agent with handcuffs, "Nobody move!"

"Hinata!" Naruto yelled, "If you do not stand down; I will shoot you!"

"No…" Hinata was in tears, "Please… not like this." She pointed her gun at Naruto, but now every agent in the house had a gun trained on her.

"Hinata." Naruto could see the situation unraveling, 'Stand. Down!"

"No…" she whispered. Her finger moved on the trigger, and Naruto knew she was going to fire.

He didn't hesitate. He fired twice, and both shots were perfectly placed: a pair in the heart. Hinata collapsed against he wall, eyes wide as she slid to the floor, a red trail smearing itself down the wall. Naruto turned away, unable to look at the sight of another corpse tonight.

"Is this what it's going to be like?" Naruto wondered, "A trail of corpses every night until I either stop these sonsofbitches or they kill me?" Somehow he knew that the horrible events of the evening were barely the tip of the iceberg, and Naruto was suddenly very much aware of the terrible consequences involved when you were a player in The Game.


	13. Case File: June 1st, 2011

**[Case Update #48]  
****06/01/2011**

I never knew just how much paperwork went into a death until I had to write up the report for Hinata Hyuga. First off you have to fill out papers for discharging your weapon, then there are the forms for an agent killed while on active duty, and then there are even more forms for when that agent turns out to be a murderer, and even more forms when you kill said agent in self-defense. Then you have to take several sessions with an interdepartmental therapist, fill out more paperwork for that. Then you have to file to have your gun carrying status reinstated… then you have to type up a case report…

The whole Hinata event was a tragic mess. Plain and simple.

I should have seen it coming. I should have assumed that members of the investigation team were suspects. Dad's notes suggested such a thing was possible. Heck, I might as well assumed every citizen of Konoha is a suspect.

I think that's what the people behind The Game want. They want chaos; they want people to be afraid to step outside. It's the most brilliant form of terrorism I have ever seen, though I'm not going to classify it as such, because then it would put this case into the hands of another department, and I've already lost too much.

We've been able to find no leads about the shooter who destroyed my front porch that night. He'd opened fire from a third story window of the apartment complex directly across from my house, but by the time agents arrived, the room had been wiped clean and all shell casings had been picked up. There was literally no evidence to be found. The only reason the CSI unit believes the shooter was there is some mathematical projections of the bullets and their trajectories. I don't quite understand it, but I know enough to trust those guys and let them do their work.

The bandaged stranger on the other hand yielded better results. We ran his prints and found out that he was a wanted felon: Zabuza Momochi. He was wanted for petty theft several years back, but evidence exists that can time him to about a dozen murder cases we believe are tied to The Game. I don't know who was hunting Zabuza, but it is possible we might be able to find some leads. He had travel papers on him which showed he had been in the warehouse district before coming to Central City. I'm having Kiba go and look for leads.

Shikamaru is currently in charge of my protective detail, and I made certain to have him submit to full investigation checks… agents searched his locker, his residence, and his person. We could find no evidence that he was a player in the game, but I don't want to take anymore chances, and Shikamaru seemed to understand. The entire team is shaken-up by Hinata's death. I don't blame them; I still remember that helpless look she had in her eyes… like she had no where to go and that death was a better option than being arrested.

I can't help but wonder if that will be my future? Is this what happens to every player in The Game?

If so, then I have a great pity for them. It doesn't excuse murder, but… no one should have to live that way. Of course they all have a choice. Nothing says they have to kill their target, but there are so many people involved now, I think it would be impossible to communicate that to each and every player, and if one person didn't stop… the fear of death is enough to keep every player going.

The only way to end this cycle is to find out who is behind The Game, and the sad truth is that I'm no closer to that goal than when I started this case. Tomorrow I'm following up a lead from the Itachi Uchiha murder. I've located the boy's mother. She and her husband divorced several years before Itachi and his father became estranged. It's a long shot, but I'm hopeful that it may turn up something potentially useful.

* * *

**A/N**

**And this is today's update. I wanted to apologize to any Hinata fans out there. I know last chapter was a bit of a shocker! (trust me, it was a shock even for me, and I'm the author) But I wanted to show just how deep the consequences of The Game run, and to kind of foreshadow the effects that being involved in such a thing has on a person. Hopefully, with this chapter... it further develops Naruto's character and gives a sense that these events will have severe and long reaching consequence.**

**As always, thank you for sticking with me, and I encourage you all to Read/Review/Recommend me to your friends!**


	14. Chasing Leads

"I want to thank you for coming in to meet with me, Mrs. Uchiha," Naruto said, taking a seat at the table across from the dark haired woman before him. Mikoto Uchiha was dressed in a navy blue pantsuit and a silver blouse, and her midnight colored hair was straightened and pulled back over her shoulders, giving full view of her face as she stared unblinkingly at Naruto.

"Miss," the woman said simply, "I got divorced for a reason."

"Miss Uchiha," Naruto corrected himself, opening the file in front of him and spinning it around so that the woman could easily see the contents. "We have reason to believe this is your son."

Mikoto Uchiha was an intimidating woman. She possessed a stoic demeanor and an emotionless façade that didn't waver a fraction, even when she was confronted with photographs of her dead child. "Yes," she said quietly, looking over the pictures carefully, "That would be my Itachi."

"He was murdered almost two weeks ago," Naruto continued, "Your husband didn't inform you?"

"No," she said, shutting Naruto's file and sliding it away, "My husband and I don't speak. Our attorneys do that for us."

"I see," the blonde frowned, "Then I would have tried to contact you sooner. You're a difficult woman to get in touch with."

"I like my privacy." The raven haired woman leaned back in her chair, piercing the inspector with an appraising look: up-and-down. "So why am I here inspector?"

"I was wondering if you knew anything about what your son was involved in?"

"The last I spoke to Itachi," Mikoto looked at the ceiling as she remembered, "It was Christmas. He called to wish me well. I asked him if he was coming home, but he told me not to hold my breath. He always move around for work, so I didn't think anything of it."

"Ma'am, we have reason to believe that your son was involved in a series of murders conducted over the past ten years," Naruto reopened the file, but the raven haired lady didn't bother to look down. Her dark, ebony eyes just stared straight through Naruto, as if she were trying to drill holes through him and into the brick wall at his back.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Mikoto frowned, "Itachi took the brunt of my husband's abuse… when I wasn't being targeted that is. Living with Fugaku would make anyone want to commit murder. Between the divorce and the death of his brother, Itachi had very little support."

"His brother?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"A younger brother," she reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. It took her a moment to open the clasp and dig through the leather accessory, but she finally produced a picture. She placed it on the table and slid it across the laminate surface to Naruto. "The one on the right is Itachi, and that is his brother Sasuke on the left."

Picking up the photograph, Naruto saw to boys who looked quick similar. Itachi was in his mid twenties in this photograph, so it was easily several years old. The other boy in the photograph was a teenager, barely sixteen… seventeen at the oldest. They both had the same hair as their mother, the same ebony eyes that looked as if they could burn holes into you, and they both wore an emotionless façade that hid their innermost thoughts and reactions from anyone who might be looking. How such a family came into existence, Naruto couldn't fathom it, but he also could tell that a great deal of tragedy had befallen them as well. It was most likely a coping mechanism they had developed to deal with all of their issues.

"If you don't mind my asking," he decided looked for a good way to phrase his question, but couldn't really find one. Naruto decided to just come out with it, "How did Sasuke die?"

"A car crash," Mikoto took the photo back, and when she looked at Sasuke, the stoic woman showed the first hint of emotion Naruto had seen in their entire meeting, and that emotion was one of such profound sorrow, Naruto was slightly grateful that Ms. Uchiha's cold demeanor kept such emotions hidden. "He had just turned seventeen…"

"I'm very sorry," Naruto tried to be as sincere as he could be, considering he hadn't known the boy, "But back to my questions. Did you have any idea about what your son had been up to?"

"I thought I had made it perfectly clear that my family is broken, Agent Uzumaki… was broken. Now it is gone." Mikoto let out a labored sigh, placing her wallet back into her purse, "If the only reason you called me down was to ask questions about Itachi, then I'm afraid I can't help you. Now if you will excuse me, I need to make arrangements to pick up my son's remains."

"Of course," Naruto stood up and opened the door for the raven haired woman, "Thank you for your time."

Mikoto soon vanished around a corner, and, no sooner had she left, Shikamaru appeared next to Naruto. "Do you believe her?" he asked.

"It's hard to get a reading on someone like that," the blonde muttered, "But she had enough genuine sorrow for me to believe her."

"So it's another dead end, then." Shika frowned, running a hand through his hair.

"Not quite," Naruto was getting a feeling, and these feeling had rarely led him in the wrong direction, "Bring me everything we have about Sasuke Uchiha's death."

"You think there is something more to it?"

"I think that his entire family is completely messed up," Naruto sighed, "But other than that I don't know anything."

"I doubt that, Boss. You always have a reason for the things you do."

"Everyone always has a reason… and Itachi had to start playing The Game as some point."

"You think he started with his brother?" Shika looked horrified.

"Is it so hard to imagine?"

"If you had asked me a week ago? I would have said _'yes'_… but after Hinata?" Shika just shook his head, "I'll come find you as soon as I have the information."

"Thanks, Shikamaru." After the other investigator turned to leave, Naruto picked up Itachi Uchiha's file and opened it.

"I don't know who you were, Itachi," Naruto whisper, "But you're gonna lead me to something. I know it."


	15. Down Time

Sasuke was wandering.

He had 24 hours that he didn't have to fret, worry, or look over his shoulder. Moments like this were rare, and he wasn't quite certain what to do with it. He had no roots, no family to speak to, no friends… everything had been left behind. He was fighting for himself, for survival, and most of the times it managed to escape his thought process… but in moments like these he had to wonder: Why?

He fought for survival. For these little 24 hour periods of peace…

To what? Spending his freedom walking down the Wharf in aimless thought?

He needed a goal. Something that would keep his mind off things. A girlfriend perhaps? Someone he could drop in on every now and then? That would work for a few months, before he had to pack up and run to another district to get away from pursuit or track down a new target. Not only that, people annoyed him.

There as always the option of getting a pet… but Sasuke hated dogs, disliked cats, killed fish without even trying.

No, pets were out of the question.

He was in a quandary. Sasuke very rarely found himself confused, but at this exact moment he didn't know what to do with himself.

"Oy! Didja hear about the boss's son?" and old man, slinging empty crates into the waiting bucket of a bulldozer, called out to the machine's driver.

"I heard he was murdered."

"Yah! Poisoned, can you believe it?"

"Serves them rich bastards right!" the bulldozer driver laughed, "They have us out here like this, in the rain! And what do they do? Bitch about trust funds and who gets to have the beach house in the divorce!" The man did his best girly voice at this last part.

"Excuse me?" Sasuke stopped and looked at the two men.

"What?" the driver looked down at Sasuke, "You need something pretty boy?"

"This don't look like your part of town, kid." the old man wiped a grimy, gloved hand on his apron.

"I don't have a specific part of town," Sasuke said coldly.

"Then what business d'ya have hear?"

"Who owns this warehouse?"

"Heh! Definitely not from around here," the driver laughed.

"This whole wharf is owned by the Uchiha conglomerate," the older man said, looking at his co-worker with distaste.

"I see…" Sasuke didn't quite know how to take the news, "Thank you for the information."

"Any time kid," the elderly man smiled.

"Waste of time, y'mean?" The drive spat on the ground, "Fucking waste."

Sasuke had already turned and left the pair, his mind elsewhere.

So Itachi was dead? It was rather hard to believe. Itachi had been the golden child, the one his father had always been proud of… the one who had introduced Sasuke to The Game. It had first seemed far-fetched, almost impossible, but Itachi had said it offered a rush like you wouldn't have believed.

He'd been right. Itachi had always been an arrogant bastard, but when he put his word behind something, you could take that to the bank.

And now he was dead.

The raven walked along as the rain began with a slow falling drizzle. Sasuke didn't mind the rain. He also didn't mind that his brother was dead. It was a callous though, but Sasuke was no liar, and it would have been a bold lie to say he was fond of Itachi. Being the younger brother, Sasuke had always found himself compared to his older sibling. It had put a sour taste in Sasuke's mouth from the day he had first experienced feeling inadequate.

But… Sasuke was intrigued.

Who could have been clever enough to catch Itachi? After all, Sasuke had been playing the game with lessons learned from his brother. Sure, Sasuke had learned his own tricks, mastered his own means of survival, but Itachi's rules to live by always stayed at the forefront of his mind:

1. Never form attachments.

2. Never pay with anything other than cash.

3. Never stay in the same place long enough for people to remember you.

4. Never think you are safe.

5. Never stand out.

Those were the five core tenets which Sasuke had used to survive for this long… and he wondered which one of those Itachi had forgotten. It was a puzzling question to be certain, and it brought a smile to the raven's lips. Now he had something to focus on in his off time. He would find Itachi's killer… and he would thank that player with swift retribution. After all, family deserved at least that much respect.


	16. Introducing Subject 0118

Sakura was plowing her way through yet another double shift at the diner. It had been a long day with more customers than usual, and the strain of it all had begun to wear her patience thin. Thankfully the day seemed to be coming to an end, at least for her, and the number of customers had started to drop off thanks to the waning hours of the night.

Just one more hour to go and Sakura could leave, go home, and spend some time with her mother before she left for work. Her daydreams were interrupted by the telltale ring of the diner door, announcing the entrance of another patron.

As Sakura turned around, holding her coffee pot in preparation, she noticed that the newest customer wasn't like one of their regular clientele. It was one of the most beautiful women Sakura had ever seen. This woman worse a simple, pink sundress and had long, straight brown hair pulled back into a silken ponytail. She moved with poise and grace, practically floating through the air as she came up to the counter.

"Hi," the woman smiled, her voice rather deep for such a fair face, but still melodious somehow, "It's not too late to get something to eat is it?"

"Of course not!" Sakura hated anyone who was prettier than she was, but she plastered on her fake smile and just decided not to let it get to her… too much. "This is a twenty-four hour diner after all."

"Oh, silly me," the woman laughed, "This is my first time in a place like this. Just after hearing all the gossip about the murder… well…" the woman gave Sakura a conspiratorial look, "I just had to see!"

"Trust me," Sakura's smile was working overtime, "I know just what you mean!"

She had to work very hard not to sigh in exasperation. So many people like this woman had shown up over the past week, trying to liven up their lives by going to the scene of a murder, even though nothing from the grisly act even remained. Perhaps it was their morbid fascination with death and violence, but Sakura just got irritated by these sorts of people.

"Here you go," Sakura showed the woman to a booth and placed a menu on the table in front of her, "Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee?" She held up the pot.

"What can you tell me about it?" the woman whispered, as if she would get in trouble by asking.

"Excuse me?" Sakura frowned.

"The murder!" the woman hissed, "Was it as gruesome as they say? Was there blood everywhere?"

"No! God's no!" Sakura was appalled. She never killed anyone in a blood fashion… it was so distasteful. "The guy just fell over… right over there," the pink haired waitress pointed to the floor right by the doorway.

"You mean you were here?" the woman looked horrified, "You saw it?"

Sakura nodded

"Oh… oh! you poor dear," the woman then looked as if she were going to be sick, "Uck! Excuse me!"

The woman dashed up from the table and ran out the back exit, leaving Sakura confused.

"OY! Sakura, what did you do to the customer?" the chef yelled from the back.

"Nothing!" she protested, hating that this was where her night was going.

"Then go check on her! Last thing we need is a rich patron claiming food poisoning!"

"Ugh! Fine!" Sakura set the coffee pot down on the table and walked out the back exit.

The door led into the alley where the diner kept their dumpster. It was poorly lit and kind of nasty because the city rarely cleaned the streets in the back alleyways, and her employer was too stingy to pay someone to come clean. There was only one light, mounted to an electrical pole, and it cast a pale swatch of golden light upon the ground, barely making the dumpster and the diner exit visible. Sakura stepped out of the doorway, looking around but unable to see the lady.

"Hello?" Sakura called out, "Ma'am? Are you all right."

"Oh, I'm fine." a voice said from behind her.

Sakura whirled around and was shocked to see the woman standing there between her and the doorway.

"Oh! Thank god!" Sakura laughed nervously, "You scared me. Now, can you come back inside and let me get you a glass of water or something. You look a little pale."

"That's quite alright," the woman smiled, but she didn't move. "You should be scared."

The voice that came out of the woman's mouth was much deeper this time: a man's voice. Sakura was suddenly very afraid. She was out here, alone… and she didn't know who this person was, but she did know one thing for certain. Sakura knew she was in danger.

There was a glint of silver, which caught Sakura's eye, and the thin blade of a knife appeared in the woman's hand. "Now… surely you didn't think working at a diner was good cover, did you?" the woman with the manly voice looked at Sakura like she was an idiot. "Killing someone in there? That was really smart."

"I… I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura took a step back as the woman advanced.

"Oh, I think you do," the woman looked at Sakura much like someone would look at a dog, a stupid dog that couldn't understand when a person insulted it so long as they kept a pleasant tone to their voice. "That poison… the poison used to kill The Shadow. It would have had to be put in a drink. It was easy for me to come in here and find out who served him coffee that day. That was all he drank, you know? Coffee."

"You…" Sakura looked to her left, where the alleyway dead ended, then to her right which led to the street. "You are talking crazy!"

"Am I, Sakura Haruno?" the lady held up her other hand, the one without a knife in it, and Sakura saw the silver ring… the tell-all and end-all of their conversation.

Sakura couldn't lie her way out, and she was unarmed. The only thing she could do was run… and so she bolted.

Unfortunately the woman was surprisingly agile. Sakura felt a hand grab a hold of her hair, and she was yanked backwards. Pain exploded through her scalp as hair was ripped out at the roots and Sakura was thrown into the alley. Her shoulder hit the dumpster and she hit the pavement, skinning her knees.

"Ah!"

"Shut up!" the male voice snapped, "God, you are sickening. The Shadow deserved better than the likes of you."

Sakura looked down and saw a board which had fallen off of one of the many pallets that came with the diner's deliveries. In a desparate attempt to escape, she picked it up and swung upwards at her assailant, clipping the man-woman in the shoulder and grazing the side of his head. The attack was enough to make her attacker stumble back, and Sakura took the opening to run.

And she did. She ran as if the doors of hell were trying to open behind her. She ran and didn't look back… which was why she was suddenly blinded by a white hot, searing pain that exploded in her back.

Stumbling, and tripping over her own feet, Sakura slammed into the wall with a strangled cry. Reaching up a trembling hand, Sakura reached over her shoulder and could feel the handle of a knife that protruded from her back. The woman… the man… that thing had thrown its knife. Sakura couldn't think straight, hysteria setting in. There was a knife in her back!

The girl brought her hand in front of her face, and in the dim light of the alley she could see the crimson wetness of her own blood coating her fingers. She was going to die. Sakura knew it in her bones. She was going to die here in this alleyway.

"You can't even give him the decency to die fighting," the harsh voice of her attacker came from somewhere behind.

No. Sakura wasn't going to die. Not here and not now. With a scream of pain and rage, Sakura ripped the knife out of her back and lunged at her attacker, swinging wildly. Several of her erratic attacks landed, opening up scarlet gashes in the pale skin of the cross dresser's arms as he blocked her flailing attempts to kill.

Furious and desperate, Sakura tackled the man and they tumbled into the grimy alley road, rolled and grunting. Sakura tried to stab him, but he grabbed her wrist. She felt something in her joints pop, pain exploding in her arm and she dropped the knife. Sakura knew that without that advantage, he could easily overpower her… and she didn't want to wait around for that.

Thinking of the only thing she could, Sakura slammed her knee into the man-woman's crotch. If it was truly a man? Apparently he was, because the person underneath Sakura let out a loud "oof" and hunched over in pain.

Picking herself up off the ground, Sakura kicked her attacker in the face and turned, running down the alley. She wanted to get out into the street, into public. She would be safer there… she had to be.

Sakura burst out of the alley and slammed into something… something hard and yet soft at the same time. She looked up into the pale face of a raven haired, young man. He was the most beautiful man Sakura had ever seen; he looked strong and self assured… and he looked like he would be enough to scare off her attack.

"Help me!" Sakura cried, "Someone is trying to kill me!"

The man quickly pushed Sakura behind him and reached into his black leather jacket, as if he were going to pull something out of it, and he turned toward the alleyway. After several long moments where nothing happened, the man brought his hand back out and turned to the pink haired girl, "I don't see anyone."

It was then that he took in Sakura's blood appearance: the bruises, her dirty uniform, the blood that covered her hands and stained her back. "Oh, wow… you have to get to a hospital."

"No…" Sakura said numbly, everything felt so cold, "I can't. He'll find me there… I have to… have to get out of here."

"Ok, then give me you arm," the man hooked his own arm around Sakura's waist, supporting most of her weight, "Where do you want me to take you?"

"Anywhere…" she muttered, "Just somewhere safe."

"Alright," the man nodded, "That I can do."

* * *

In the dim alley way, the cross dresser picked himself up off the ground and looked at where his quarry had escaped.

"Sakura Haruno…" he muttered.

She should have been an easy kill, would have been had he not wasted time gloating.

He walked over to the dumpster and pulled out a black trash bag from behind it, the one he had stashed there earlier that week. Opening it up, he pulled out fresh clothes, boots, and a pair of thin, silver knives. Not even bothering with discreetness, the man took off all of his clothes, throwing the ruined dress into the dumpster.

He had minor cuts, which could be hidden with the new clothes until he got back to the safe house, but his ego had taken a lethal hit. Once dressed, he pulled on the boots and picked up the knives, sliding one into the hidden sleeve on his right boot and the other into the bun he made out of his long ponytail. As he walked out of the alley, no one would recognize this man as the young woman who had entered the diner earlier.

The stranger stepped into the crowd and soon was lost among the bustle of early morning people on their commute to work.

**Subject # 0118  
****A.K.A. The Gemini  
****Real name: Haku  
****Suspected Kills: 40+  
****Classification: Assassin**


	17. An Unscheduled Meeting

**A/N - The support for this story has been so wonderful over the weekend, really! All of you have left me kind of speechless. It's gotten more views and reviews in these two days than it has... well... EVER! (well at one time anyways). I don't know if it's because I'm writing it better, or that people just started looking at it, but... thank you all SO MUCH!**

* * *

"Naruto, do you have a minute?' Shikamaru popped his head into the doorway of the blonde's office.

"I seem to have plenty of them," Naruto sighed, "There is nothing about the death of this Uchiha kid that raises red flags, so I have no leads to investigate."

"Well I may just have something for you," Shika grinned, "There's a police officer downstairs that wants to speak with you. He claims to be the brother of Gaara Kaze."

This nugget of information caused Naruto's eyebrows to raise, "Excuse me?"

"Don't ask me," the spikey haired brunette raised his hands in defeat, "He refuses to speak with anyone other than you."

"Then show him up!" There was an obvious hint of excitement and urgency in Naruto's voice. Shikamaru turned to leave, but Naruto thought of something important, "Wait, Shikamaru!"

"Yeah, boss?"

"Make sure he's checked his weapon."

"Sure," the brunette nodded, "Though most cops aren't fond of giving their weapons over to anyone, much less government types like us."

"Let's just say I'm a bit over cautious since my front porch was redecorated with bullet holes," Naruto said wryly.

"Nobody blames you," Shika nodded. He didn't tell Naruto how much of a pain it was going to be, having to deal with taking a gun away from a beat patrolman, but if it meant keeping Naruto out of harms way? Then Shikamaru was all for that. This team needed Naruto's energetic pursuit of truth, otherwise the investigation would stagnate.

It was several minutes before Shikamaru returned, long enough for Naruto to do some serious thinking. The first and foremost thought in his mind was that this could be a clever ruse. Someone could honestly be trying to kill him, and for that very reason, Naruto had his handgun sitting in his lap. His desk would conceal that fact from this supposed police officer, and it would be in easy reach if something were to go wrong.

There was a knock on his door, and then Shikamaru appeared, "Officer Kaze."

"Of course, let him in," Naruto nodded.

Officer Kaze was a tall man with broad shoulders and pale skin. He also have very distinctive facial tattoos which were quite imposing, something Naruto didn't think was allowed in the Konoha prefectures' police force. It raised a flag almost immediately.

"Agent Uzumaki?" the man asked, taking off his patrolman's cap.

"Officer Kaze," Naruto motioned for the man to take a seat across from him at the desk, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Word came to me that someone requisitioned my little brother's files," the officer said before even taking a seat. "That would be enough to make me worried, but when I found out that it was the KBI? What's my little brother involved in?"

Naruto wasn't about to release any information about their ongoing investigation, and he didn't know anything about this man before him. Playing with his cards close to the chest, Naruto decided to see just how much the man knew, "I'm afraid I can't reveal anything about an ongoing investigation."

"I know that line," the officer growled, "I'm not asking about your investigation! I want to know if you've found my brother!?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "You don't know where he is?"

"No one in our family does," the officer sighed, looking down at the floor, "There are only three of us. My sister Temari, our little brother, Gaara, and myself. We grew up together, took care of each other you know?"

"I'm afraid I don't. I was an only child," Naruto watched the man carefully, looking for signs that he might have been lying.

"Well, then I can't expect you to understand…"

"What happened to your brother?" Naruto posed, 'What made him drop off the grid?"

"I don't know what you mean?" the police officer looked confused.

"Officer Kaze…" Naruto started.

"Kankuro," the man corrected, "I'm not on duty at the moment. My shift ended an hour ago."

"Well, Mr. Kaze," Naruto corrected himself while still remaining detached from a personal connection, "We have your brother's records. As of several years ago, it is as if he never existed. No medical records, no school transcripts past high school, no address, no credit cards, no bank accounts… someone only lives like that if they are trying to hide."

"Gaara," the man started, the facial tattoos making Kankuro looked even more serious as he forrowed his brow in concentration, "He got in with the wrong crowd. Temari and I tried to help, but you know how kids can be. I was busy with my police training, and Temari was working double shifts to pay the rent. Gaara got left behind because he was still in school."

"What kind of people was your brother mixed up with?"

"A local gang," Kankuro explained, "They don't even exist anymore to my knowledge, but he started changing. Gaara got distant, emotionless… he came home with a tattoo one night."

"Anything specific?" Naruto asked, pulling a pen out of his desk to make notes.

"A kanji," Kankuro motioned to his forehead, "About here. Bright red… like his hair."

"And what did it say?"

"Love."

It was Naruto's turn to look serious, "That doesn't sound like something a gangbanger would get tattooed on their face. That would be asking for trouble."

"You would think," Kankuro grinned, 'But no one would be stupid enough to pick a fight with Gaara… at least not twice."

"There weren't any records of your brother being involved in violent crimes," Naruto bought up.

"Gaara never did anything wrong," the police officer said defensively, "He may have hung with a bad crowd, but he wasn't a bad kid."

"I'm sure he wasn't," Naruto conceded that point, not wishing to anger Kankuro before he could get more information. "You said you don't know where your brother is, but you keep tabs on his file. Do you expect him to turn up?"

"No." Kankuro looked angry for a moment, "He left a note for Temari the night he vanished. He told us to forget about him, to act as if he were dead."

"Do you have evidence that he isn't?" Naruto knew this was a pointless question. The ring for The Game had clearly written Gaara's name. The boy was alive, but Naruto wanted to know why his brother thought so.

"Gaara's a fighter, Agent," the police officer said with certainty, "I don't know what he got himself involved in, but he's not dead. I'm certain of it, and I intend to find him."

"Then that makes two of us," Naruto locked eyes on the man, "The best way for that to happen is for you to let me know if he tries to make contact with you in any way. Are we clear on that?"

"Of course," Kankuro nodded, quite emphatically.

"_That was the first time he's lied since he got here_," Naruto thought, "_Though I'm not surprised. He wants to save his brother… and I'm going to lock Gaara away if I ever find him. Officer Kaze knows this."_

"Well," Naruto stood up, "Then I'm glad we are on the same page."

"You still haven't told me what my brother is involved in," Kankuro protested.

"And I won't be," Naruto stated firmly, "That is something I must keep under the tightest of secrecy."

"He's in trouble then?"

Naruto nodded, "I'm afraid so, but if he were to cooperate with us… things would go much better for him in the future." That little plant of hope, it had been enough to make family members turn their loved ones in to the authorities in the past. Being a police officer though, Naruto didn't expect it to affect Kankuro.

"Thank you for your time, Agent Uzumaki," Kankuro stood up, "I can show myself out." The officer donned his hat before leaving Naruto's office, leaving the blonde investigator with even more questions.

Shikamaru appeared only moments after Officer Kaze had departed. "What are you thinking, boss?"

"I'm thinking that Officer Kaze has been following me for days now," Naruto frowned.

"That's the guy you've been seeing?" Shika asked in surprise.

"I'm fairly certain of it," the blonde nodded.

"You want us to bring him in?"

"No." Naruto pondered for a moment, "Put a tail on him. I want to know where he goes, what he does, who he meets… I think he may just lead us to his brother."

* * *

**As always, I appreciate my readers and I ask you to Read/Review/Recommend me to other readers! Thank you and see you tomorrow!**


	18. Case File: June 5th, 2011

**[Case Update #51]  
****06/05/2011**

Several new leads presented themselves today, each that have the possibility of yielding developments in the case.

First, Kiba came into my office today, complaining of deskwork as usual. I decided to take pity on him and threw him a bone. After my talk with Officer Kankuro Kaze, I wanted to find out more about this Gaara's past. The best way to do that would be to make contact with the people he spent the most time amongst. To that end, I have sent Kiba undercover into the street gangs of the Eastern District, where Gaara and his siblings grew up. Perhaps if we can find out why Gaara joined up with a street gang, then we will be able to piece together his journey up to his disappearance. Any clues gathered may lead us to his current whereabouts.

However, I am not one to leave things to chance. Officer Kankuro mentioned a sister, and I was able to tell from our conversation that Gaara was closer to his sister than he was to the Officer. Therefore I've had Shikamaru put wire taps on both siblings' phones, to see if they make contact with their missing brother; I have also had electronic tracking algorithms placed upon their banking accounts and credit cards. If either Officer Kankuro or his sister Temari make suspicious financial activity or purchases… I'll be notified of it within minutes.

As it is in most circumstances, the family members still have contact with the people we are trying to locate. It is impossible for someone to completely disappear. One of Gaara's siblings will make a misstep, and I will be waiting to swoop in should they do. Shikamaru is currently checking the Kaze family's travel records… we may be able to find a clue there as well.

There was also an interesting report from the lab that came across my desk today. Apparently the ring has provided another name, and that Gaara's has disappeared. I would assume that my involvement in Hinata's death, and her killing of Zabuza must have somehow attributed a kill to my score, as horrifying as that is to consider; however, I will take fresh leads wherever I can find them. The new name is of an old woman who lives in the Lower Burrow of Capital City. I've sent two officers to pick her up, and I expect to induct an interrogation within the hour.

It's only a waiting game at this point before something happens. I will find Gaara Kaze, and, once I do, I feel that I will be one step closer to discovering who is behind this game.


	19. Introducing Subject 0067

Rock Lee had been on quite a journey.

His journey had been in the search of an individual, a ghost more like it, but after months of searching in vain, he had stumbled across a trail.

When you were a player in a game that technically didn't exist; then there wasn't necessarily a rulebook to follow or turn to for guidelines. This, more often than not, had been a point of frustration for Rock Lee, who felt that the entire world had an obligation to follow rules and niceties. The Game fit into no such mindset.

As if to torture him further, Rock had been given the name of a target who couldn't be located, whom no one had found, and whom every player who had drawn his name… had never been heard of again.

That… that right there had turned out to be the clue he was missing.

Rock Lee had been trying to track down his target, which was impossible because his target didn't exist… but what his target might not be aware of was that Rock could easily track the players who had come before him.

It had taken time, but piece by piece he had been able to piece together a trail of bodies which had led him to the Outer District and then to the outlying forest. This was where Rock had discovered the smallest of drains to the power grid, a drain that signified someone using electricity regularly.

It was his target. He was certain of it.

Now, after a three hour hike, he had come into a clearing… the strangest clearing he had never expected to find inside of a forest.

It was like stepping into a small desert. The trees, the grass, the foliage… all gone. Instead, there was a small, log cabin surrounded by a hundred foot radius of sand. There were no plants, not even a cactus, no rocks or stones… no mailbox or car, just a house… and lots of sand.

"The hell?" Rock Lee furrowed his large eyebrows as he tentative stepped out of the cover of the tree line.

The door to the cabin opened and a pale man with crimson red hair stepped out, well he was barely a man. Judging from his appearance, Rock would have expected him to be in his early twenties at the most, and for someone living in a private desert, this boy looked way too pale.

"You should go back where you came from," he spoke, glaring at Rock Lee with cold, green eyes.

"Are you Gaara?" Lee dropped his backpack from where it was slung over his shoulder, and reached into it for the gun he always carried.

"Yes."

Rock waited to see if he would say anything else, but the redhead didn't so much as twitch. "Ok," the intruder grinned, glad to see his cleverness had paid off, "Then you know why I'm here!"

"Of course," Gaara nodded, stepping out onto the steps of his front porch, walking down until his bare feet touched the sand, "You're like all the others."

"Not quite," Rock smirked cockily, taking a step forward and pointing his gun at Gaara, "I'd say you're pretty much dead."

"I find that it is safer to not make such assumptions," Gaara frown, tilting his head to gaze intently at the sand around his feet.

The intruder with the bowl haircut thumbed the safety off on his pistol, pulling back the hammer, "Is this how you killed all of the other players? Bored them to death?"

Gaara looked up slightly, the sunlight glaring against his pale skin and offering Lee a very good look at the red tattoo on his forehead. "I wouldn't take another step if I were you."

"Oh yeah?" Rock laughed menacingly, taking a step forward. "Who do you think has the gun pointed at who…?" He never got to finish his sentence as a large, three-pronged spear, curved like an eagle's talons, burst from the sand and struck him in the head.

Gaara dug his toes into the sand and jerked his right foot back, pulling a thin wire with his toes. The wire was attached to one of many traps buried in the sand around his house, and he knew how to operate them all, having personally laid each and every one. The wire released the coiling mechanism, and the talon trap dislodged itself from Rock Lee's lifeless skull, and fell backwards into the sand.

"Like all the others," Gaara sighed, picking up the shovel that leaned up against the railing of his simple porch. Now he would have to spend the next three hours relaying that trap, clearing away the body and the blood, and still have to go out and forage for dinner.

Guests were always such an imposition.

**Subject # 0067  
****Real name: Gaara Kaze  
****A.K.A. The Sentinel  
****Suspected kills: 10+  
****Classification: Highly resourceful**

* * *

_**A/N -**_

_**Ok! So i felt like doing one of my famous DOUBLE UPDATES! Why? Because I feel like the case notes are just cheating (sometimes) and because I wanted to introduce my favorite little redhead! Hopefully you, my dear readers, will like how I still try and maintain some of the essence of the character as they are reincarnated for this story.**_

_**As always, I appreciate your following me on this journey and I ask that you Read/Review/Recommend this to other people. The more feedback I get, the more excited I am about writing... and thus... you get double updates! :P**_


	20. The Scorecard

Sakura awoke with a start, looking around frantically and expecting to be attacked.

She found herself alone and in unfamiliar surroundings. Sakura was lying in a bed which was shoved into a corner; the room had no windows and the only light came from the glow of a laptop screen. There was a desk on the far wall, covered with a few papers, and a trashcan set next to it filled to the brim with crumpled up pages that spilled over onto the floor.

A bag full of clothes was tossed to the side, apparently forgotten, and aside from those few things… the room was empty.

"Where am I?" Sakura wondered. She ran a hand up to her head and found that her hair was stiff, stuck together by some dried substance. There was another door across from the bed, and a light from underneath it told her that it must have led somewhere. She got up, feeling a sudden pain in her back as she moved, and her memories of the previous events came back to her.

"That's right… I was stabbed." Reaching a hand over her shoulder tentatively, she felt bandages. Looking down she saw the her waitress outfit had been removed and she was now wearing nothing more than a pair of sweatpants and her upper torso had been completely bandaged. "Who?" Then Sakura remembered the raven haired man. He had been so beautiful, so strong… she had asked him to take her someplace safe.

This must have been it.

Walking over to the doorway with the light, Sakura opened the door and found the bathroom. Her first clue was the sink, mirror and toilet; then she heard the running water of the shower and noticed that the mirror was fogged up. Still groggy from sleep, it hadn't occurred to Sakura until several moments that someone was _using that shower… it still hadn't registered until she was face to face with a fully nude body as it opened the shower curtain and stepped out._

_The raven haired man didn't even seem shocked to see her, didn't even feign modesty. His dark, ebony eyes gave her a once-over as Sakura stood there shocked, and then he smirked at her embarassment._

"_I'm sorry!" Sakura blushed and turned around, covering her eyes._

"_Hn," the man continued smirking as he grabbed his towel and began drying off. Thankfully he covered himself up with it shortly after, and then he walked out of the bathroom. "All yours…" he shrugged._

_A red flush flying to her cheeks, Sakura quickly shut the door, pressing her back to it and sliding to the floor. She didn't realize the stupidity of that move until pain jolted from her should to her spine and then through her entire body. _

_How could he be so calm!? He'd been naked! NAKED! But then again, anyone who looked that smoking hot while they were dressed, probably knew that they looked god-like without clothes on. Sure, he was pale, but that skin was perfect, and he was muscular like a professional swimmer. Sakura had a thing for swimmers. Something about the way their entire body seemed to bend and flow as they glided through the water… each and every muscle visible._

"_No! Stop!" she had to get her mind under control. Someone had just tried to murder her, and now she was in some strange man's apartment. God only knew where she was, and this man could be a psychopath! She gingerly got up off the floor and walked over to the sink, running a hand over the fogged mirror. Finally getting a look at herself, Sakura noticed just how horrific her appearance was: she looked like hell._

_Her pink hair, which she normally took so much pride in maintaining, was caked with blood and grime from the alley. Her forehead had a bruise the size of a fist, and her shoulders were scraped, as were her elbows. Sakura need a shower, badly._

_Putting aside her worrying, she turned the water, on took off what little clothes she was wearing, and hopped in. The water was cold for a brief moment, and she shuddered. It woke her up though, and then when the warmth hit her back, it was like her wound was on fire! She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from crying out. A voice in the back of her mind told her that she probably shouldn't get it wet, but she needed to clean up._

_It took her awhile, but she shampooed her hair, cleaned her body as well as she could for the wound kept her from using the full mobility of her right arm, and then she turned off the water and just stood there. Sakura was overwhelmed by a sudden dose of reality. She had been inches away from death… from never existing for another second. It could have all been over, and for what? She didn't even have a reason for it other than a stupid game, a game run by invisible people who apparently got sick pleasure out of seeing people kill one another._

"_I should have listened," she muttered, remembering the silver haired man who had told her to pack up and leave town._

_Well, hindsight was 20/20. Sakura vow to start being cautious. She would get out of town, and she would lay low… _

_Climbing out of the shower, she reached for the rack where the raven had grabbed a towel and started to dry herself off. Then she thought about what she was going to wear. She didn't know where her uniform was, not that Sakura wanted to put it back on, and she wasn't fond of the sweatpants. Deciding that if her host could be immodest, then she could as well. Draping herself in the towel, covering up as much of her flesh as she could, Sakura stepped out of the bathroom._

_The raven was seated at his computer, still naked. His towel had been discarded on the floor and he was intensely looking at news reports on Google. He looked up as the door opened and smirked. It was something Sakura could tell instantly that she didn't like. This man's smirk said more than he had ever actually spoken; that smirk told Sakura that he felt he knew everything and that other people were beneath him… either that or he was admiring the almost naked woman leaving his bathroom. Both things made her feel ultimately selfconscious._

"_You look better," the man said, turning back to his computer._

"_Thank you," Sakura said sarcastically, "I normally look like a runway model after muggings."_

"_Mugging?" the raven raised an eyebrow, "Is that the story you're going to use when going to the police?"_

"_Who says I'm going to the police?" Sakura shot back._

"_Most mugging victims go to the police," the raven shrugged, "Most players get revenge."_

"_Excuse me?!" She took a step back._

"_Relax, sweetheart," the man chuckled coldly, "If I'd drawn your name I wouldn't have bothered stitching you up or bringing you here."_

_Sakura had to admit… the man had a point. There was obviously no reason in denying it either. She was a player in The Game, so she might as well get information from another source… after all, it was nice to have someone to talk to, someone she didn't have to lie to all the time like her mother._

"_Oh! God!" Sakura freaked._

"_What?" the man looked at her like she'd gone insane.;_

"_My mom! How long have I been here? She must be worried sick!"_

"_You've been unconscious for two days," the man frowned, "You lost a lot of blood… and you still have contact with your family?" This was obviously a foreign concept to the man._

"_Yes!" Sakura bit her fingernails, "My mom needs me. I know! I know! I've been told that it's a stupid thing for me to do."_

"_Yeah!" the man rolled his eyes, "That's like living in a death trap. If anyone drew your name and found out where your mother lived, that's the first place they would look."_

"_Thanks," Sakura dropped to the bed in defeat, "I already felt stupid, but thanks for rubbing it in."_

_The man was silent for a second, then he walked over to the bag of clothes lying on the floor and reached in, pulling out a roll of bandages, "I'm sorry. I don't talk to people much."_

"_I can tell."_

"_Hn," he frowned, going to sit behind her on the bed._

_Sakura was acutely aware that he was still completely naked._

"_We need to change your bandages," the man said, completely serious as if he didn't even notice her wearing nothing but a towel, "After that I'll take you home. From there you'll have to figure out your next step."_

_Nodding, Sakura dropped her towel so that he could change her bandages. The process took several minutes, during which the two of them conversed in short, clipped sentences. She learned that his name was Sasu, though that was probably an alias like the man in the diner had used. She learned that he had left his family behind years ago, he never stayed in the same place for more than forty-eight hours, he slept with a gun under the mattress, and he didn't like talking. Sakura apparently talked too much for the raven, but it was her way of relieving stress and right now she had a great deal of stress to deal with._

"_There," Sasu muttered, "Finished." He got up and walked over to the bag again, tossing a shirt and some pants at Sakura, "Those should suit you fine until you get to your own place."_

"_Thank you," Sakura said quietly. She noticed that the pants had a drawstring, which she was grateful for because those sweatpants had been much to big for her waist._

_Sasu went back into the bathroom with a handful of clothes, leaving Sakura alone. She got dressed in silence, and then went over to his desk. She noticed that the raven had been doing a lot of research on a single person… an agent from the Konoha Bureau of Investigation named Naruto Uzumaki. "He's rather attractive," Sakura noticed, seeing a picture of the blonde investigator on the laptop screen. Then she noticed that the headline read "Agent In-charge of Serial Murder Game Investigation Attacked!". The article spoke about how this Naruto had been attacked outside his home, and that apparently another agent and a civilian had been killed._

"_He's investigating The Game?" Sakura read in shock. It wasn't like the article had mentioned anything important. The public didn't know much about The Game, but Sakura could spot necessary details._

"_You're nosey, aren't you," the raven mused, coming out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of black jeans and a blue, tight fitting t-shirt._

"_Sorry!" Sakura blushed again, "I just saw something about the game."_

"_Yeah," Sasu nodded, "Apparently he's making some players pretty nervous. The underground is talking about some big names wanting to kill this guy even without having drawn his name."_

"_You mean this agent?"_

"_Yeah," the raven nodded, "He's a player."_

"_How do you know?" Sakura asked suspiciously._

"_The scorecard," Sasu said simply. When Sakura looked confused, he sighed, "You've never been to Lowtown, have you?"_

_Sakura shook her head._

"_There are a bunch of game groupies down there," Sasu explained, "They make trading cards, keep tallies on player kills, that sort of thing. Apparently they have some connection to a large source of information, but players use their computer system all the time." He pulled up a website which required several password log-ins before it decrypted. What pulled up was a list of names in a spreadsheet, followed by numbers and other words._

"_This is the scorecard," Sasu spun the laptop to face Sakura, "Every player has a codename that these groupies have given them, based off of kill information and police files associated to them. Only the players know who they really are, because they of course know about all the kills… but some of us are smart enough to read the news; we can connect kill patterns and styles."_

"_What good does that do?" Sakura asked._

"_This site is updated every five minutes. If one of the top ranked players, like The King for example, is recorded making a point in Western City? Then most people are smart enough to stay out of western city," Sasu said simply, "Or if you are like me? I'd go to Western City knowing that he is most likely gone by the time this site was updated."_

"_I see…" She looked at the list, reading the details of all the murders and kills associated with different players. She even found herself, ranked way below at the bottom. "So…" she ventured, "Which one are you?"_

"_That would be telling," the raven smirked, closing the laptop and grabbing up a jacket from the bag on the floor, "Lets go. I've got places to be this afternoon."_

_Sakura nodded, turning to grab he stuff before remembering that she had nothing. She'd left her purse at the diner, and she wasn't going back there to get it. She'd go home, tell her mother she was fine… make up some excuse, and then she would pack a bag and disappear for good. It was obvious that you had to be emotionless to play this game; two people had already demonstrated that to her. It was time she started learning her lesson._


	21. Reporting In

"You will not believe what I've been through this past week!" Kiba exclaimed, bursting into Naruto's office without even announcing himself. The junior agent was dressed in a white t-shirt, baggy cargo pants, and had his hair all mussed up… not only that, but as part of his undercover work with the gangs, Kiba was wearing two, bright red, knife-shaped tattoos: one under each eye. Even though he looked completely like a thug, Naruto could help but smirk when he thought how much those suited Kiba and his ruffian type of personality.

Naruto looked up from his computer. He could feel the vein in his forehead throbbing; only Kiba did this to him. "I can think of a great deal more to put you through, if you're complaining," the blonde offered.

"Come on! Don't be like that," the shaggy-haired brunette whined, "I've brought you some interesting gossip."

Rolling his eyes, Naruto leaned back in his chair and decided to indulge Kiba, "Share."

"So, get this…" Kiba plopped into one of Naruto's chair. "That Gaara kid? His old gang was a bunch of game bangers!"

"I think the term is gang bangers, Kiba."

"Nope!" The brunette shook his head, grinning about the fact that he knew things Naruto didn't. "It's a term the gangs are using for people who are addicted to The Game."

"Addicted to The Game?"

"Yeah," Kiba frowned at the idea, "Game bangers, game groupies, they have all kinds of names for themselves. Apparently there is this whole, underground following… they keep scores, tallies, have favorite players… it's kind of intense!"

"Do they realize they are fascinated with a group of serial killers," Naruto practially growled. The sheer audacity of the concept made him livid.

"It's strange, but not really," Kiba shrugged, "They view the players like victims. I mean it's not like you wanted to be a player, maybe there are a bunch of others out there like you."

"One big difference," Naruto held up a finger, "I don't play the game."

"Well you also have the might of the government behind you," Kiba retorted, "Most people either don't trust the government, or don't feel that the government even cares. Then you have this game that has been around for years, and people who live in silent fear of it. I'd say that makes them victims."

"They could go to the police," Naruto argued, "They could ask for help."

"Again, most of your common citizens feel like they can't trust the police to take care of them," Kiba held up his hands to show that he wasn't trying to fight. He was just stating things they way they were. "I'm not saying that the players of this game should be idolized, but I am saying that I can understand where they are coming from, and isn't that why you sent me undercover?"

"I sent you undercover to follow a lead, hoping that I might get some information," the blonde crossed his arms, "I'm still waiting to be impressed."

"Well, then get a load of this," Kiba grinned, "Gaara's old gang ended up getting busted by the cops about two days after his disappearance. Guess who the officer in-charge of the raid was?"

"Kankuro Kaze?" Naruto ventured.

"Right in one," Kiba chuckled.

"A bust like that should have gotten him a promotion, so why is a gang busting cop still walking a beat patrol?" Naruto wondered.

"That is what you will find interesting," the brunette leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, "Guess who the beat cop is for the Lower District where I've been finding out all this information?"

"No way," Naruto grinned, "Why would he pass up a promotion to walk a beat in a dangerous neighborhood like that?"

"Believe it or not? He actually tries to keep an eye out for the kids, keep them out of trouble."

Naruto sat in thought for a moment, "You know what this means don't you?"

"What's that?" Kiba cocked his head to the side like a curious dog.

"It means that Officer Kankuro had purposefully planted himself in an area that is teeming with information about The Game," Naruto explained, moving forward to lean on his desk and grinning conspiratorially. "I won't buy it for a second that he doesn't know what happened to his brother. Kankuro put himself in the central hub for where information of his brother might turn up, and by making nice with the local gangs and trying to look after their kids, he cozies up to the sources of that information. It's genius!"

"Ok, so where does that leave us?"

"Simple," Naruto chuckled, "You continue digging up information… and eventually either you or officer Kaze will discover where Gaara is hiding."

"And if Kaze finds him," Kiba suddenly caught on to the plan and he grinned like a madman.

"We'll follow him right to our target," Naruto concluded. It was obvious that Kankuro Kaze knew more than he had let on; Naruto was certain of it. It was only a matter of time until Naruto figured out just how much the police officer was keeping hidden.

* * *

**A/N - **

**Ok! Barely made the update in time! Whew!**

**Today was the last day of finals, so yay! I'm looking forward to a long weekend where I can get a load of writing done. This chapter is just some simple exposition, so don't kill me! I know it's boring, but things have to build up before there can be another climactic moment!**

**So, as always, Read/Review/Recommend this story to friends, communities, forums, fans... and I will see you tomorrow.**


	22. Ante Up

The Rose District…

It is the only realm within the entire country of Konoha that is zoned for gambling, and because of such zoning it is the largest and most profitable district in the country. From small run down dives to multi-tiered skyscrapers, the Rose district has it all: casinos, clubs, theater, bars… it is the central location for an evening of entertainment. If you have a carnal or extracurricular desire, it can be found here, and, more often than not, most establishments try to blend their pleasures.

There are strip clubs that feature full-on stage shows, with professional actors and current running Broadway plays. There are disco casinos that feature the up-and-coming deejays spinning tunes to crowds of people trying to beat the house.

Yes, the Rose District is Vice Central… as an old wise man once said: "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."

He hadn't been to the Rose District, but if he had then he would have said those exact words about it.

It was for these reason that many players in The Game came here on their downtime, those rare moments where they weren't being hunted. The Rose District allowed them to play our their desires, their fantasies; it allowed them to forget their troubles and their worries.

For Sasuke, it gave him a place to search for information.

The Raven walked into the doors of one of the more popular casinos: The Roost. It had been around for decades and the build was constantly changing and renovating to keep up with the times, but it always held a strong, steady clientele, and it was because of this steady stream of regular patrons that Sasuke had come here looking for one person in particular.

Sasuke didn't have friends; he couldn't afford them. He did have acquaintances; however, and he knew several of the top players in the game either by reputation or encounter. Tonight he was looking for one player in particular: The Crone. That old woman had been around for longer than most; she was one of the original players. As far as Sasuke knew, only two other living players could claim such a thing: The King and The Toad… and Sasuke had never met either of them.

Looking around at the many stations and tables that offered a variety of gambling activities, Sasuke looked for the one player whom he considered worth respecting. The Crone was crafty, cunning, and she had a list of disguises as long as her naturally blonde hair. In normal circumstances she would be impossible to find, but if the Scorecard was correct… then she was on her first downtime in a month, and on her downtime she was predictable: The Crone loved gambling, and she was a Roost Regular.

"Some things never change," Sasuke smirked, picking up her profile at a high stakes poker table. He made his way through the crowd, coming up behind the woman.

"Well if it isn't my favorite little mockingbird," the blonde haired lady spoke before he had even gotten within ten feet, "Don't you know better than to sneak up on a lady?"

"Well, when I see a lady I'll make certain to ask her."

"Still a prick I see," she laid her cards down, winning a hefty sum of chips and raking the pot towards her side of the table, "And here I thought this past year might have mellowed you."

"I have mellowed," Sasuke grinned, taking a seat at the open spot next to her, "I'll buy in."

"Maybe," the woman raised a finely cared-for eyebrow, "You look tired."

"Long day," Sasuke muttered, taking count of how many chips he had gotten for his two hundred dollars: five chips total. This was going to be a short game.

"We all have them," she shrugged, throwing her ante onto the table, "What can I do for you, Karasu?"

Karasu was one of Sasuke's many aliases, so he knew not to act confused when she used the name. The Crone probably knew it was a fake name, but he didn't need to draw attention to it. If another player took an interest in you; it could be a fatal mistake on your part. "I need some information, Suna." Sasuke raised, he currently had a pair of aces, so it couldn't hurt.

The man across from him folded, as did the other man at the table. The only player who remained in the game was Suna. Sasuke doubted that was The Crone's real name either, but it was the name she had given him when they first met… and it was the name she continued using.

The woman called Sasuke's wager, waiting to see the next cards laid out on the table, "I'll give what information I can. Depends on the topic."

When the dealer laid out the River, Sasuke was now holding onto a pair of aces and a pair of jacks. He raised, hoping to get her to fold. More chips would mean more time he could play and fish for info. "What do you know about the KBI agent running the investigation?"

"Not much," Suna shrugged, "I hear he's fairly young for a head investigator though. Why are _you_ interested?" She raised the bet higher.

"He's a player," Sasuke muttered, forced to call. He was down to one chip.

"Bad luck for him then," the older woman frowned, "The same thing happened to his father."

"Come again?" Sasuke looked up from the latest card the dealer put down, which hadn't helped his hand at all.

"His father was lead investigator first," Suna explained, "I had the pleasure of meeting him once, though he didn't know about my profession. The man's name was Minato Namikaze… he got too close to a very powerful group of people, started asking the wrong questions. Next thing you know, he's a player… then he's dead."

"Hn," Sasuke frowned. That wasn't good news. It definitely didn't bode well for the plan he'd been working on. "Who killed him?"

"The Toad," Suna said bluntly, "And that's a player you don't want drawing your name… ever, kid."

"Trust me," Sasuke swallowed, "I've heard the stories."

The Toad was the second highest ranked player in the game, and he had almost as much infamy as The King… possibly more so. He was known for being swift, lethal, and merciless. He could take out any target given to him, and most of his kills wound up looking like accidents. If they didn't look like accidents, then they were some of the most grisly murders you could imagine: decapitations, explosives, poisons… every kill was different, deadly… almost artistic if you looked at death in such a manner.

"Well, then you know how this story is gonna end," Suna said with a hint of sorry. "You're KBI agent is on a short list headed for the graveyard… especially if he follows in his old man's footsteps."

The dealer laid down the last card. It gave Sasuke a full house: Aces over Jacks. He played his last chip, knowing that he would either go home with an extra two hundred dollars, or without any money at all.

"Do you have any idea who The Toad is?" Sasuke wondered.

"Not a clue, though if I did… I wouldn't share that information," she sighed, "That would just be asking for trouble." She called his wager and laid her cards down; she had ended up with four Jacks.

Sasuke cursed and mucked his cards. He didn't want her seeing how close he had been to winning.

"Better luck next time, kid," the woman grinned, taking his money without the slightest hesitation. "Need anything else?"

"I need you to get a message to The Gemini, if you can?" Sasuke stood up, knowing that he couldn't stay at the table without playing.

"I'm sure I could find a way of getting in touch with that crossdressing headache," Suna frowned, "What business do you have with that basket case?"

"He was friends with my brother," Sasuke said bluntly.

"I'd heard about his loss," she looked apologetic, "The Shadow was a good player."

"Just let The Gemini know that I'm holding the funeral in the Undermarket on Friday," the raven said, not even showing a flicker of remorse as the woman brought up Itachi's death.

"Consider your message delivered," Suna gave him a wave good-bye, "See you 'round, kid."

"Hopefully not," Sasuke smirked.

"Perhaps you're right."

Sasuke left The Crone to her winnings, exiting the casino and walking out in to the brisk, night air. He needed to get back to his room, pack up his things, and then move on to the next location. His name would be back in The Game's system within the hour, and he couldn't afford to be sleeping in the same location tonight.

* * *

Tsunade found her interest in the poker game to be waning after the raven's visit. She had lied when she claimed to know nothing about the KBI agent investigating The Game.

Tsunade had been a criminal informant for Minato Namikaze. She had actually helped him follow several important leads in his investigation, and if she was honest with herself… which only happened when she was sober, and that was rare… she would tell herself that she had been the cause of Minato's death. She'd helped him get too far, to dig too deep into the underbelly of The Game.

When he'd become a player, Minato had made one request of Tsunade: "_Watch over my son_," he had said. "_Don't let him make the same mistakes I made."_

"Well," she muttered into the empty bottom of her wine glass, "Looks like I've failed in that regard." In fact she hadn't even tried.

The powers that existed behind The Game frightened her. They had reach, protection, and control. If they wanted it to happen, Tsunade would be dead tonight… and she was not a woman to tempt fate. If Minato and his son wanted to play in the viper's nest; then by all means she would let them. Right now she had ten more hours before she had to start playing again, and Tsunade planned to get good and wasted within that amount of time.

* * *

**A/N - **

**I know many of you probably were wondering what some of the other players I had introduce were up to... so I decided that I would use one of them to help Sasuke move the plot along. Plus, it was a nice way to shed a little light on poor Minato's back story. I know it isn't much, but hopefully this little tease is enough to make you want to keep reading. Bwahaha!**

**What is Sasuke planning? Who is behind the game? Who is The Toad? All these questions will be answered in the future, and if you have more questions other than these... feel free to ask!**

**As always I would appreciate if you Read/Review/Recommend me to other readers! And I will see you all tomorrow with the next update.**

**P.S. - Karasu means "raven" in japanese, f.y.i.**


	23. I Wrote You a Letter, Mom

**Hello everyone! Next chapter is here! Warning: Sakura chapter ahead. Stupidity may occur. :/**

**I would also like to thank my readers who have left reviews! You're my favorites, just don't tell anyone okay? Okay!**

* * *

Sakura walked up the steps to her mother's apartment. She' just quit her job at the diner, claiming that the violence and the bad area of town were too much for her. She explained about the attempted mugging to her boss, and Sakura had lied to him about contacting the police. Now all she had to do was come up with a lie to tell her mother, and then she would disappear.

That lie was the one that would be weighing on her heaviest.

No matter how hard she thought about it, Sakura couldn't seem to come up with anything convincing. What would be a good enough reason to give your mother… to tell her that you would never see her again? She still wasn't sure we she arrived at the door. With a sigh, Sakura reached into her purse and pulled out her keys, sliding the key for their apartment into the deadbolt.

The door pushed open without her even unlocking the door or turning the handle. That wasn't supposed to happen.

Looking at the doorframe, Sakura noticed that the wood was splintered, as if he had been forced open. "Mom?!" Sakura called out, but no one answered.

Reaching into her purse for the gun she had just purchased, Sakura walked into the dark apartment. Sasu had told her that a gun would be a wise purchase if she was going to continue surviving in the game. The raven haired man had explained that man players used knives, or other means of silent killing, but nothing in the world could beat the range, lethality, and protection of a firearm, especially when shit went down.

Sakura agreed with him, and although she preferred poison as a means of killing, it wasn't like she could poison an attacker's coffee if they came at her right now.

"Mom! It's me, Sakura," she called out, a note of worry in her voice, "Are you here?"

Where was she? Why weren't any lights on? Her mom always left the kitchen light on if she was out of the apartment. Sakura fumbled around on the wall, searching for the light switch in their common room. She banged her knee into a coffee table, which, while painful, informed her that she had walked too far inside. She took a few steps back, keeping her hand on the wall until she felt the light switch.

Sakura flipped the lights on, and, as the room was illuminated… she screamed.

Her mom was seated in her favorite reading chair, a book on her lap and her head handing back, revealing a long, bloody gash across the entire length of her neck.

There was blood all over the front of her mom's clothes, on the chair, pooled on the floor. Her mom looked to have been dead for several hours… which meant the attacker was most likely gone, but Sakura pulled the gun up and began checking the room.

Her brain kicked into overdrive, and the pink haired girl panicked. She had to go, someone had to have heard that scream, and she couldn't sit around and wait for the cops to come. There would be too many questions, like 'why did an 18 year old girl have a gun?'

But this was her mom… Sakura couldn't just leave her like this.

On the verge of collapsing, Sakura looked down at the slain woman. "Mommy…" she whispered, her voice shaking as her entire body trembled under a fit of sobs. "I'm so sorry!"

Sakura was just about to leave when she noticed something laying on top of her mother's book. It was an envelope… crisp, clean, and not a drop of blood on it. Sakura picked it up and found a piece of paper inside. On the paper was a simple note:

"_**Dear Sakura,**_

_**Sorry about your mother, but from behind the two of you look so much alike! I suppose I was angry about what happened behind the diner. You won't hold it against me will you?**_"

The letter was written in red ink, and it took one horrifying moment for Sakura to realize that it had been written in blood… her mother's blood!

Sakura's grief was momentarily overpowered by anger. She crumbled the note up and forced it into her bag. That cross-dressing bastard had done this! He'd killed her mom, and he had probably done it for fun, the sick bastard! Well, then Sakura would play his little game. She would hunt him down and kill him. There was more than one way to get your next 24 hours of free time, and if she could kill the man hunting her and ship his ring back to AKAT; then not only would she have the satisfaction of seeing the life leave that monster's eyes… she'd get a day to say good-bye to her mother.

Turning and leaving the only home she had ever known, Sakura left the murder scene before anyone in the building could come and investigate her screaming. She didn't know where she was going to go… but she didn't care.

Sakura just ran.

* * *

**A/N - **

**And there it is... violence. What you have all come to know and expect. I know the past few chapters have been exposition HEAVY, but I had to set the stage for the future plot elements, and I didn't really have action to throw in there. Not only that, but I also had to check in with some of our characters who haven't had much face-time... so, forgive me if you have been bored, and if you haven't been bored, then thank you for sticking with me!**

**As Always, I love reviews. They are my life source. When I get a large about of feedback it makes me want to do double updates. Yep! I'm bribing you, my dear readers!**

**Till next time!**


	24. Case File: June 20th, 2011

**[Case Update #55]**  
**June 20th, 2011**

I would have thought there would be more leads by now… but it is almost as if The Game is mocking me. The woman whom I was supposed to be tracking down was found murdered in her apartment, which either meant she was killed by the person she was hunting, or she killed herself and made it look like a murder. I find the latter option to be less likely.

The ring has given me a new target, but I'm afraid that I will have even less luck with this person that I had with the last. I feel like I'm chasing my tail here.

The electronic traces of Kankuro and Temari Kaze have yet to yield evidence, and if they don't give up something substantial by the end of the month, then the department will no longer authorize the expenditure of resources to follow them.

I thought for certain that one of Gaara's siblings would have led me to his whereabouts, but the longer I wait, the more I worry that my instincts may be failing me.

Shikamaru has turned up nothing but a slew of unsolved case files that he believes are attached to The Game; however, the reason these cases are unsolved is because there is absolutely no evidence connected to them. Whoever performed this series of murders had police training, or they worked in a government office where they could either tamper with evidence, or they knew how to remove it from a crime scene.

Normally that would be a good, solid lead, but Hinata had fit that profile and no one had suspected her. Going back and trying to find a police officer or agent connected to murders from ten years ago? I don't see much hope in that line of pursuit, but Shikamaru assured me that he wasn't going to stop looking into those cases.

Kiba checked in again this morning, and he informed me about something called The Scorecard. It is apparently a website that allows people to track their favorite players. It gives background on successful kills, their kill count… all of which would be helpful if we could get our hands on it, but the website is heavily encrypted. I have analysts trying to hack it, but there has been very little luck. They told me a great deal of jargon, something about how the signal is being bounced between servers, that the encryption is multi-layered… lots of big words that basically told me not to hold my breath.

I asked Kiba how the game groupies were able to access the Scorecard, and apparently there is a café that has access to it. People go in there and check the information, swap trading cards, and share elaborate stories about their favorite players, most of which are probably exaggerated greatly.

We did learn something interesting though. The only way you can get access to The Scorecard is by making a contribution to The Game, which I interpret to mean you have to be a player… a player willing to share information. If I can find out who controls this scorecard, there is a chance that I may be able to gain access as a player. Though, I am afraid of what kind of "contribution they will ask me to make."

I told Kiba to take notes next time he checks out that café. Of course he whined about paperwork not being part of a field assignment. I then asked him if he remember that he had to file a report about his entire undercover operation, to which he accused me of being a horrid taskmaster who had secretly planned this all along. Apparently he thinks that I sent him undercover just to make him do triple the amount of paperwork he was doing before.

How right he is. I enjoy watching that man stress at a typewriter. Serves him right… and relieves some of my stress as well.

* * *

**A/N -**

**Alright! here is a case update, and since you know how I feel about these, I plan on trying to do another double update! I'm thinking Saturdays are good days to do double updates because it is the weekend, and it gives people something to spend their time doing... something lazy that doesn't require getting out of your pajamas!**

**As always, please Read/Review/Recommend this story, and I will see you with the next update!**

**P.S. - If any of you wish to read more of my writing, I have an on-going Rise of the Guardians ficiton called "A Change of Spirit". I'm quite proud of the OC that I created for it, and I would love your input if you were a fan of the movie.**


	25. The Plot Thickens

Sasuke returned to his safe house to discover a distraught, sobbing Sakura. The pink-haired girl was clearly a mess… truly a wreck.

It wasn't something Sasuke had planned on, in fact, it wasn't something he particularly wanted to deal with at the moment. He wanted to pack, he wanted to do some last minute internet searches, and then he wanted to leave. Playing the comforting shoulder to cry on for a complete stranger was no part of Sasuke's life goals, but seeing as how the girl was standing between him and his doorway… what choice did he have?

"Sakura?" he asked tentatively, "What's wrong?"

"It's my mom…" the girl sobbed, "He killed her. She's… dead."

This news actually stunned Sasuke. In fact he did a double-take, involuntarily stepping backwards as the news slapped him with its severity.

The Game had many casualties, but it was a very, _VERY_ rare occurrence that a civilian died. Most players didn't like adding random murders to their name. It was one thing to kill in order to stay alive, but most players tried to appear normal. It was a very rare sociopath who killed for the pleasure of it, and very few players in the game fit that description.

"When did you find her?" he asked, not trying to be callous, but Sasuke truly didn't know what to say.

"A few hours ago," Sakura muttered, "The bastard left a note… he wrote it in her _blood_! Sasu… I… I don't know what to do." The girl looked as if she were going to be sick.

Frowning, Sasuke went to the door and unlocked it, motioning for her to come inside, "I'll make some tea."

"Thank you," the pink-haired girl whispered. She ducked into his hotel room, hiding her face and the tears that were freely streaming down her cheeks, ruining her make-up.

Sasuke made tea in silence, offering Sakura a towel to wipe her face. The Hotel would be able to clean it, so what did he care if her running mascara stained the towel? Still, this was an odd turn of events. The raven had never planned on seeing this girl again, and now… here she was. Sasuke pondered at the likeliness of that happening; perhaps the universe was trying to tell him something? Get a girlfriend perhaps? Don't go chasing your brother's murderer…?

Sighing, Sasuke poured two cups of tea and walked over, handing one cup to Sakura.

"Thank you, Sasu…" she said softly, blowing on the hot beverage.

"Karasu," Sasuke said, trying to give her one of his more intelligently thought-up aliases. "My real name is Karasu."

"Oh…" the girl murmured, thinking about the name, "I thought Sasu was a little silly."

"Yeah," Sasuke smirked, "I was a little distracted that day. My brother died…"

"I'm sorry to hear that," Sakura said, and Sasuke could tell that her apology was genuine.

"Thank you. I guess that puts us in the same boat," he took a sip of his tea, "This has been a bad week for us."

In truth, Sasuke really hadn't cared for Itachi in the same way that Sakura obviously cared for her mother… but it was considered courtesy to try and be sympathetic to someone who was obviously in pain, and if this conversation stopped Sakura from crying, then Sasuke wouldn't complain.

"Tell me about it," Sakura groaned, her voice cracking. She'd been crying so much that she would probably go hoarse within the hour. Again, Sasuke probably wouldn't complain.

"What are you going to do now?" Sasuke asked, not really interested but if the girl kept talking; then she wasn't crying… well, wasn't crying _as much_.

"I'm going to find that bastard," Sakura's eyes blazed with rage, "And I'm going to kill him. Screw my current target!"

"Many players use that strategy," the raven nodded, "Why hunt someone down when someone is coming to you. The problem is that you end up becoming paranoid."

"I never said that I was going to change my game plan," Sakura snapped, "I'm just making a special exception for this asshole."

"I can understand," Sasuke smirked, "I plan to do the same thing to whomever murder my brother."

"Heh," Sakura chuckled, "Guess we're more alike than we thought."

"I guess so," the raven nodded.

There was a long silence as they drank their tea. Sakura wasn't crying, so Sasuke decided to enjoy one of his simple pleasures: not talking. He loved silence, thrived in it… in fact he would sometimes make noise just to remind himself how much he hated noise… and then he could enjoy another several hours of silence.

"I just had an idea," Sakura spoke up.

_So much for silence_, Sasuke thought, looking up at the pink-haired girl. "What's that?"

"What if we teamed up?"

"Excuse me," Sasuke frowned. Players in the game didn't team up. There was no way you could get that close to someone. If they drew your name, it was way too easy for them to stab you in the back.

"Hear me out," Sakura held up a finger, "We are both looking for the people who killed our loved family. We are both living the same lifestyle… why not team up? If we draw each other's name, then we pretty much have an advantage over the other players, because there are two of us. We can hunt them all down, kill them… and when there is only us: we win!"

"You don't win The Game," Sasuke looked at her like she was stupid, "The best you can hope for is to die of old age, which no one has managed yet."

"But no one has ever teamed up!" Sakura protested, "Think of it. Two of us hunting our targets, if someone came after you, they wouldn't be expecting me to put a bullet in them, or… you know? Vice-versa."

The girl made an interesting point. It hadn't been done before, not successfully at least. There was always that mistrust… that fear that your partner would shoot you in your sleep if they drew your name, but if you found someone whom you could know for certain wouldn't betray you… then you would have a definite advantage.

Sasuke would never choose Sakura as that person. No, this girl was much too annoying for him to be able to put up with her for that long, but if he could seduce her… make her fall for him? She would be a valuable tool until he got tired of her. And if Sasuke were to draw her name, after making Sakura think he loved her… she would be the easiest kill he ever made. He could keep her around though until he found a suitable candidate for her idea, the perfect partner. In fact, the raven already had a plan that might work well with this new idea that was forming.

"You have a point," Sasuke grinned, enjoying the scheme he had just concocted much better than Sakura's little proposal.

"So you'll consider it?" Sakura grinned, glad to have someone to possibly back her up.

"I'll give it a trial run," the raven said, acting as if he weren't completely sold on the idea yet, "You'll have to convince me."

* * *

**A/N - **

**Alrighty! Progress! And, because I love my readers so much... this is double update Saturday! (it may become a thing, or it might not... depends on my mood swings at this point)**

**I liked this chapter because it finally gives a decent look into Sasuke's personality and thought processes. Yes, we've had plenty of chapters with him, but none of them efficiently showed off his cunning as much as feel that this chapter does. I think this chapter also does a great job of showing Sasuke's character, and just how true it is to his original character in the series: Sasuke is not the good guy. He's not necessarily a "bad-guy", but he is far cry from being a saint. That's why he is such a good foil for Naruto.**

**Hopefully you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please feel free to follow the "three R's" - Read/Review/Recommend this story! I'll see you all tomorrow with the next update. Things start picking up quickly from there.**


	26. Night Falls

**Here we are! New chapter.**

**Also, it has come to my attention that people didn't realize that this story was yaoi themed. I thought that I had made that clearer at the beginning... but since I didn't. I want people to know that, yes, everything I write for the Naruto fandom is yaoi based. There will be no graphic love scenes, or anything particularly erotic. I prefer to try and write meaningful relationships that just happen to be between two men. However, for the sake of all my readers I do try and have standard relationships (standard? hetero? vanilla? what do you call straight relationships these days?)... so you will see things like Sakura/Sasuke and Shika/Ino. I hope that you, my dear readers, will not be turned off of the story just because I try to write yaoi relationships that have a meaningful depth to them.**

**So warning for this chapter and the rest of the story: YAOI**

* * *

"Alright people, wrap it up!" Shikiamaru shouted, "I need to get out of here and the longer you people hang around, the angrier I'm going to get." The spiky haired brunette had been trying to clear the office ever since quitting time. It was Saturday, and apparently he had plans.

Naruto watched the junior agent with a mild look of amusement.

"That include you too, Boss!" Shika jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Go home! Give it a rest!"

"Why in such a hurry?" Naruto laughed, "Something good must be happening for you to risk insubordination."

Shika scratched the back of his neck, walking over to Naruto to converse in a hushed whisper, "You know the hot secretary in the lobby?"

"Yeah," Naruto grinned, remembering the blonde bombshell who manned the front desk of the KBI. "Ino and I have this thing going. I'll say something retarded, and she'll snarl at me." The head investigator grinned, "It gets on her nerves every day! She thinks I'm stupid, but she doesn't realize how much enjoyment I get out of seeing that vein in her forehead pulse."

"Yes, well." Shika cleared his throat, "Remind me to thank you for being an asshole, Boss." He grinned, "No offense meant."

"Oh! really?" Naruto feigned taken offense.

"Really!" the brunette nodded, "If you hadn't tortured her so much, then I would never have had something in common with her. Thanks to her hatred of you, we talked for about twenty minutes this morning and she agreed to go out with me tonight!"

"Congratulations!" Naruto clapped him on the back, "She'll have you whipped within a month!"

"Hey!" Shika protested, "I'm rather strong-willed thank you."

"Not when it comes to a pretty face," Kiba laughed, walking up to the two of them. Inuzuka has just finished filing his report for undercover work and he was glad to be back in a suit. "Everyone knows you'd do anything to make a girl happy."

"So what if I'm devoted?" Shika asked.

"Whipped!" Naruto and Kiba agreed in unison.

"Whatever," Shika shrugged. He was too happy to be bothered by the two of them and their taunting. "I want to go home and get ready, but I still have to file timecards… which I can't do if you are still here!"

"Fine, fine! We get it," Naruto waved dismissively, "I'll go home. Come along, Kiba."

"Sure thing," Kiba ran a hand through his shaggy hair and followed Naruto to the elevator, "Good luck holding onto your ball, Nara!"

"Screw you, Inuzuka!"

Naruto chuckled, watching Shikamaru get flustered and turn red just as the elevator doors closed. "Oh! That was fun. I haven't done that in forever."

"It's rare to see you in such a good mood," Kiba remarked, looking at his boss with a grin of approval. Kiba liked this playful side of Naruto.

"It's this case, Kiba," Naruto sighed, massaging his temples to ward off the on-coming headache, "I can't seem to figure out where to go next. I have all these pieces to the puzzle, but none of them seem to fit together."

"You need a break," the shaggy brunette commented. He looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow, "You going home?"

"Most likely," the blonde shrugged, "Nothing else to do. If I was here I'd think about the case, and if I'm home… I'll probably think about the case."

"That's hardly what I would call a break."

"I need a break," Naruto frowned, "A break in this case."

"No," Kiba laughed at the seriousness that had come over Naruto, "You need a legitimate break… like from reality." There was a pause in which Kiba debated whether or not to go through with a thought he'd been having. Finally he decided to go for it, "You wanna come have a drink with me? There's a nice cop bar down the corner, they cater to most of the Agents here and the officers down at the Precinct."

Naruto gave it some thought and finally nodded in consent, "Sure. I could use a drink."

-break-

Kiba had been right. The bar was a nice one, and it had been full of off duty policemen and government employees. The crowd had been raucous, watching the latest sporting event, but it had been fun. Naruto truly enjoyed the atmosphere, and surprisingly enough… Kiba had been good company.

Naruto and Kiba had often been at odds, primarily because Kiba's work ethic and attitude rubbed the blonde investigator the wrong way… but something about the brunette was easy to relate to when they weren't working. Kiba was a good listener, and he had good insight. Naruto made a mental note to let Kiba have more of an input on the investigation, because surely a new pair of eyes couldn't hurt things.

The two of them decided to call it a night after about two hours of drinking, after which Naruto was in no state to drive. He was going to have to call a cab, which he blamed Kiba for.

"Don't blame me!" The brunette grinned, "No one forced you to have that many beers!"

"Well, you said I needed a break," Naruto laughed, looking at Kiba with gratitude. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For doing this," Naruto sighed, "It was nice to just talk to someone."

"Well…" Kiba shrugged, "You seem like a decent guy. I figured you just needed to get your mind off the office and the case."

"Shikamaru has a date," Naruto almost giggled, but he managed to save it and turn it into a somewhat manly laugh. His drunkenness was slipping out.

"Who'd have thought it?" Kiba gave a toothy grin at Naruto's almost giggle, making himself look wolfish in appearance. "He's the only one of use with a personal life it would seem."

"No girl in your life?" Naruto asked.

"Nah…" Kiba shrugged, "I'm too much for a girl to handle. You?" Kiba raised an eyebrow, curious to find out why one of KBI's top agents wasn't married or engaged.

"Too busy," Naruto smirked, "And I don't like girls."

"Wow…" Kiba muttered, not expecting Naruto to come out like that. He made his own mental note: get Naruto drunk if you ever need quick, honest answers from the guy.

"Too much information?" Naruto asked, wondering why he had even admitted such a fact. It's not that he ever acted like a gay male… he never felt the need to. Naruto had always believed that who you were as a person shouldn't have to be defined by who you were attracted to. Naruto would have been the same, regardless of his sexual preference.

"Nah!" Kiba chuckled, "I just never expected it… many people in the office had bets going that you were asexual."

"Really?" Naruto was shocked.

"That or you had a thing for animals," Kiba laughed, "But you don't own pets so my money was on something else."

Naruto ignored the bestiality comment. "What something else?"

"Well… this," Kiba gestured around him, "I figured you were like me."

"Come again?" Naruto was a little too drunk. It almost sounded as if Kiba had said he was gay too.

"I mean girls aren't my thing either," Kiba said bluntly.

"Oh…" Naruto didn't know what to say.

"Yep," Kiba nodded, "Figured that makes us even. I know you don't like to put your personal life into the workplace. I'm the same way, which is why I never talk about myself… and why I try to be obnoxious. It keeps people looking at only the work side of my life."

The genuine honesty with which Kiba spoke surprised Naruto even more than the brunette's confession. Naruto had always view Kiba as a lazy, immature sort of guy, but tonight Agent Inuzuka had shown an entirely different side of himself.

"I'm pretty much the same," Naruto admitted, "I don't date and I keep my personal life out of the office because… I want everyone to focus on the task at hand. They need to view me as a leader, so I can't afford to be part of the gossip."

"Well, you're always going to be part of the gossip," Kiba pointed out, "But for what it's worth. You do a good job leading the team. People respect you…"

"Even you?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Hell! Yes, even me!" Kiba looked offended, "I may be a pain the ass, but when it comes to respecting you, sir." The brunette crossed his arms, "There isn't anyone at the KBI who respect you more than I do."

"Thank you, Kiba," Naruto smiled, looking up at the moon, "That means a lot."

"Well, I was kinda hoping to ask you something tonight," Kiba venture.

"Mmm hmm?" Naruto urged Kiba to continue, absentmindedly not recognizing the tone in the brunette's voice.

"I was hoping that we might be able to do this again some time?" Kiba suggested, "Perhaps at a restaurant?"

Naruto looked down, realizing that Kiba had just asked him out. The blonde didn't really know what to say, and he was certain that a fair amount of shock was visible on his features; alcohol made it difficult for him to hide his emotions.

"Yeah," Kiba immediately began to retract his question, "You're right! We can't… you're my boss and everything."

"Shit!" Naruto cursed his emotions, "You didn't even let me answer."

"Oh… um," Kiba waited, still feeling like Naruto was going to say no.

He never got the chance to hear the blonde's answer though, because he noticed a man standing a little ways down the sidewalk. The stranger had his face covered with a baseball cap, but he had been watching Naruto and Kiba for the past five minutes, getting a little closer every now and then. Kiba's sense's pinged on full alert, just as the man reached into his coat for something.

Not even thinking, Kiba shoved Naruto out of the way just as a shot rang out through the night. Kiba felt the bullet slam into his left shoulder, and then he felt the harsh, unforgiving impact as his body his the pavement. There was another shot, and Kiba saw Naruto's weapon in his hand, the gun barrel smoking.

Next think Kiba knew, Naruto was kneeling over him, repeating his name over and over again, shouting at him… but Naruto's voice sounded so far away, which was weird because the blonde was right there. That beautiful face was right there. All he had to do was…

Kiba reached up and pulled the blonde's face forward, kissing Naruto full on this lips, just before his entire world went black.


	27. Case File: June 30th, 2011

**[Case Update #59]  
****June 30****th****, 2011**

**-entry made by Junior Agent Shikamaru Nara-**

Special Agent In-charge Naruto Uzumaki cannot file tonight's report due to an incident involving Agent Inuzuka. **[second report will follow once more information has been obtained] **

**Report Follows:**

We received the latest coroner reports from the Itachi Uchiha case, which are puzzling.

The cause of death was determined to be Ricin poisoning, which means that the victim's time of death does very little in helping us to discover who is killer was. The Coroner explains that the poisoning could have occurred within three to five days of Itachi Uchiha's demise, and, while it is possible that several doses of the poison could have been administered over a period of time to hasten death, the most likely time frame is that the victim was was poisoned three days before his death due to the amount of the toxin within his bloodstream.

Apparent symptom of this poison include manifested nausea, diarrhea, tachycardia, hypotension and seizures, which would explain eye-witness accounts of Itachi's death, and would also explain why his case was not deemed murder until several days after the intial investigation.

Initial police reports claimed that the death was a heart attack, due to the seizure and behavior the victim was reported having; however, upon closer inspection the coroner decided to test for toxins and found high traces of the Ricin poison. Attempting to trace the poison's origins are impossible. Apparently this is not a difficult toxin to come by, as the poison is derived from bean-like seeds which can be found at a florist shop or purchased in The Undercity.

I've sent a request in to have an agent question the diner's employees. The local police precinct has already performed similar questioning in relation to the events revolving around Itachi Uchiha's death, but no one was questioned about the days leading up to the time of death. I suspect that our killer is one of the employees, or that they somehow had access to the diner's food and drink supplies.

While the chances of locating Itachi Uchiha's killer have decreased exponentially with this new evidence, I feel that it is possible we may still be able to uncover some information which may lead us to a player in The Game.

* * *

**A/N - **

**I must really love my readers. It's another double update! (actually is more of a disguised Q&A session. People have wondered why Sakura hasn't been hunted down by the police, so I have decided to give some information on why the investigation into Itachi's death hasn't led them directly to her).**

**This is one of those "The More You Know!" type updates. Hopefully you find it educational and intriguing. It definitely casts new light on Sakura as a killer.**


	28. This Cold, Blank Feeling

**Ok! I know people are dying to know what happened to Kiba, so I give you the answer to the cliffhanger (please don't murder me!)**

**Also, I urge my readers to check my profile. I keep all kinds of updates there. That's where all my projects are detailed, so if you have questions about a story, or if you want to see some of the other things I've written, it is all there and I update my profile fairly regularly with progress notes. You'll also find plenty of other Naruto fictions, ranging from AU to more traditional ninja adventures.**

* * *

Naruto hated hospitals.

There was no deep seated, psychological reasoning behind it; just something about the atmosphere of a hospital put the blonde on edge. For a building that was supposed to heal people, these places always smelled of death, decay, and sickness… it made his stomach turn. If he had his own choice in the matter, Naruto would never step inside of a hospital, but there were always circumstances that force someone to overcome their fears and step outside of their comfort zones.

Tonight was such an occasion. Naruto was currently pacing back and forth in the waiting room, as he had been for the past hour and a half, waiting for any news about Kiba. The ambulance had arrived in record time, meaning that if it had taken any longer, Naruto was pretty certain he would have picked Kiba up from the sidewalk and carried him to the nearest hospital.

Naruto had ridden in the ambulance with Kiba, refusing to let the brunette out of his sight; he wasn't going to lose another agent to this stupid "game"; unfortunately, the moment they had arrived at the hospital, the doctors and emergency room staff had whisked Kiba way into a long, sterile, white hall behind a door that said "Medical Personnel Only", which had left Naruto where he was now, pacing ever since.

No one had been out to give him an update on Kiba's status, even though the nurses continually told him that someone would be out any minute with a progress report. Why were these people so goddamned slow!?

"Boss!" Shikamaru came rushing into the waiting room with a blonde girl in tow. She was dressed up quite lovely, and it took Naruto a few moments to realize that this was actually that devil-spawn of secretary. Ino cleaned up nicely.

"We just heard," Shikamaru was saying, "What happened?"

"I don't know," Naruto said angrily. "It all happened so fast. One thing we were talking, the next… Kiba was pushing me out of the way."

"Did you catch the shooter?" Shika looked Naruto over to make certain he wasn't injured. It would be like the blonde to completely ignore his own well-being.

'If putting a hole in his chest to allow his heart to breathe counts as catching…" Naruto growled, "Then, yes."

"Ah, well I can't say I'm sorry to hear that," the junior agent swore, "I hate cop killers man."

"Kiba's not dead!" Naruto snapped.

There was no way in hell he was going to let Kiba die, refusing to acknowledge that the situation was out of his hands entirely. Kiba's death just wasn't an option. Naruto already blamed himself for Hinata; after all, he had pulled the trigger, but he could justify his actions there. In his mind, Naruto knew that Hinata would have shot him. But Kiba? If Kiba died protecting him from a bullet that had Naruto's name on it, Naruto knew he would never be able to forgive himself.

Shikamaru took a step back, holding his hands up as if to surrender, "Sorry, bad choice of words, Boss."

Ino looked at Shikamaru and rolled her eyes, walking up to Naruto and placing a hand on his shoulder, "Kiba's going to be fine. That man is a complete dog, a borderline chauvinist…" she smiled gently. "But he's stubborn. It'll take more than a bullet to kill Inuzuka. If that would have worked, trust me… I would have tried years ago."

"You sound almost as fond of him as you are of me," Naruto smiled, but it was a weak smile, "Are you cheating on me, Ino? Found another man to irritate you better than I can?"

"Don't sell yourself short, idiot," Ino scoffed, "There isn't a single person in the world more annoying than you."

"Wow, it almost sounds like you care about me," Naruto teased.

"Temporary truce," Ino shrugged, "For Shikamaru's sake. He looks about ready to have a nervous breakdown."

"Hey! You try getting a phone call like that in the middle of dinner!" the spiky haired brunette protested, "And I'm not having a nervous breakdown!" As if to disprove his own point though, Shikamaru almost jumped through the ceiling when his cell phone rang. "Hello?" a shocked expression came over the junior agent's face, "Yes, sir! He's right here! Of course, I'll put him on."

Shika handed the phone to Naruto, "It's the director."

Naruto's eyes widened. He hadn't spoken with the director of the KBI since he had been given the case he was currently on. That was the same day he'd been informed that his father had been murdered.

"Sir?" Naruto answered.

"I think you have a lot of explaining to do, Agent Uzumaki."

"I'll have a report filed by first thing in the morning," Naruto clipped, completely professional.

"No," the director's voice was difficult to discern. Naruto could tell if he was angry, concerned, or just grumpy from having to make this call at 2 a.m.

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"I'm headed to the office right now," the director explained, "I've been going over your case reports for the past few months. I want you to be there when I arrive… you're going to give me a full briefing. My agents are getting shot left and right by being involved in your investigation, so I want to know what the hell is going on!"

"Of course, sir." Naruto could already tell he wasn't going to enjoy this meeting.

"I'll see you in thirty minutes, Agent." The directed hung up the phone.

No sooner had Naruto handed the phone back to Shikamaru, then it started to ring again. The brunette looked at his phone as if it were possessed, but he answered it nonetheless, "Hello?" there was a pregnant pause while Shikamaru nodded several times, "Uh huh…. Uh huh… Shit!"

"What?" Naruto and Ino both said at the same time, looking sideways at one another in annoyance.

"Those electronic traces you had on Garra's siblings?" Shika looked at Naruto for confirmation.

"You mean the ones that expire next week because they've yielded nothing?"

"Well, not anymore," Shika grinned, "They just pinged like crazy! Get a load of this: Officer Kankuro just bought a train ticket online, headed for the Outer District."

"Ok," Naruto frowned, "What makes that so odd? It's the weekend. For all we know he could be going fishing."

"Yeah, except that his sister purchased the exact same ticket for the train that left before this one," Shika grinned, "Either they are both headed to go fishing, or Officer Kankuro is following his sister somewhere."

"Which means we need to be there as well… shit!" Naruto swore. This could not have happened on a worse night.

"See!" Shikamaru pointed at Naruto, obviously proving to everyone why he swore just a moment before.

"There's no way that I can make it to the Outer District in time, if I have to make this meeting with the Director," Naruto frowned, "And if someone isn't here…"

"I'll stay here," Ino offered.

"Ok, that still leaves the Director," Naruto sighed.

"Boss, forgive my possible insubordination," Shika looked serious, "But fuck that meeting! We've been waiting on a lead in this case for months. This is the closest we've ever gotten to finding Gaara Kaze, and if the Director has any brains at all… he'll understand."

Naruto stopped mid-stride. "You're right," the blonde grinned, "Call the office, have them get a helicopter ready. We'll make it to the Outer District before Officer Kaze."

"Then what?" Shika asked, already dialing on his phone to make the preparations.

"Then we ask him where his brother is," Naruto headed for the door with determination, Shikamaru hurrying to follow, "Only this time I'm not going to be polite."

* * *

**A/N - **

**I have a favor to ask of you, my dear readers.**

**I recently came across a story that I had COMPLETE forgotten about. It's a vampire story, and it's mostly an original tale crafted by me. It was sparked by an old gaiaonline roleplay that I participated in back in 2005 (yeah, long time ago), but the story quickly developed into something which I felt was a unique tale. Now, the story is unfinished, but my interest in it has been recently piqued. So if any of you out there like vampires and magic, please go take a look at "The Story of Sarai". The main character I created for that story is actually the reason why my writing profile is called Magical Mistress Sarai, yep.**

**I would really appreciate some input or thoughts from any of you. If there is enough interest in the story I may try and create an outline and continue working on it. Who knows?**


	29. An Unscheduled Meeting: Redux

**Alright, one more set up chapter and then a moment many people have possibly, maybe been waiting for!**

**Also, if you like vampires, please check out my fic "The Story of Sarai". Getting feedback on that would be an amazing Christmas present!**

* * *

Kankuro stepped off the train, pulling his hat down over his eyes. He didn't expect anyone to be following him, but it was better to try and appear as inconspicuous as possible. Shouldering his bag, the police officer followed the flow of pedestrian traffic as they shambled their way to various exits, restaurants, or to benches to wait for their next train. Kankuro made his own way to the front of the train depot where he could hail a cab. Pulling his iPhone out of his pocket, Kankuro checked the GPS location of Temari's phone.

He'd been following his sister for the past few hours.

When he had gotten off his shift, Kankuro had come home like normal, expecting to find Temari preparing to go to work. Instead he had found a receipt on the counter for a train ticket Temari had purchased. Normally Kankuro wouldn't have thought much about such things, except that she had purchased it for a train that had left while he was still working, and she hadn't mentioned anything about taking a trip. The whole thing had smelled suspicious, and Kankuro's instinct told him that this was going to be the only chance he had of finding Gaara.

He had always thought that Temari might have some idea what had happened to their little brother; after all, Gaara's note had been meant for Temari only. The only reason Temari had shared it with him was because she knew Kankuro wouldn't have let the subject drop. Looking back on things now, Kankuro hated that he had ever let the subject drop. He should have pursued Gaara that very night; he shouldn't have let Temari convince him that Gaara was old enough to make his own choices.

Kankuro had to stop walking suddenly as someone stepped into his path. "Excuse me, but I need to get by," he said.

"Officer Kankuro…"

Kankuro looked up and found himself face to face with KBI Agent Naruto Uzumaki.

The blonde gave him a smirk, "We need to talk."

* * *

"I'm telling you that we are wasting time!" Kankuro shouted. The KBI agents had brought him into a meeting room at the back of the train depot, and they had been questioning him for the past twenty minutes. "The longer you keep me here, the further away my sister gets. She may even decide to ditch her cellphone!"

"The last time we spoke you told me that you had no idea where your brother was," Naruto frowned.

"I still don't!" Kankuro beat his fist on the table, "But I'm certain Temari does!"

Naruto turned to look at Shikamaru. The junior agent shrugged and gave Naruto a look which said: This is your call.

"Do you know where your sister is heading?" Naruto asked, turning back to the man seated at the table.

Kankuro pulled out his cellphone and pulled up the GPS locator, "I've been following her with this."

Taking the phone, Naruto looked at it. The dot was slowly moving across the Outer District toward the forest. Temari must be in a cab or a rental car. "Alright, thank you. We'll take it from here."

"No!" Kankuro stood up, "That's my sister, and if she's going to where Gaara is… I have to be there."

"I'm sorry, but this is too important," Naruto turned to the doorway, "I'll leave an agent here to keep you company."

"If you show up, Gaara is going to bolt," Kankuro growled, "Temari will probably help him get away, and I may never find him again."

"You underestimate the resources I have at my disposal," Naruto didn't turn. He was confident that he could bring Gaara into custody, but there was that voice in the back of his head, nagging at him that he could be missing something… a particularly vital piece of information was eluding him.

"My brother is one of the smartest kids I've ever seen," Kankuro was ready to start begging, "You need me. I'll be a friendly face; I can convince him to come with you."

"Fine." Naruto opened the door and walked out.

"Boss!" Shika came running after him, "This is an unnecessary risk!"

"You don't think we can handle one police officer?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"No!" Shika sputtered, "But it's a concern we don't need to deal with."

"Take his gun from him," Naruto ordered, "Then bring him with us. I'm through wasting time."

"Yes, sir." Shikamaru turned back to take care of Officer Kankuro.

Naruto motioned for the other two agents who had been guarding the door to follow him. They would take the KBI chopper and try to catch Temari before she made it to the forest. If they weren't able to catch her, then they would pursue her on foot. That voice in the back of his head was practically screaming at this point, but it was too late to turn back now…

He had to push forward. Naruto refused to let this lead get away.

* * *

**A/N - **

**Next chapter is going to be exciting! Actually I really like the next two chapters, but the one coming up tomorrow is going to have a little action, and I always enjoy writing action!**

**Until next time!**


	30. A Vicious Circle

**Yay! The moment I have been waiting for! Hope you all enjoy! I won't keep you from the excitement!**

* * *

Gaara was seated by the window of his cabin, curled up on a cushion with his knees under his chin as he read a book. It was a book taken from the backpack of one of the people who had tried to kill him; it was about a girl who discovered she had magical powers and how she tried to come to terms with them. It wasn't Gaara's favorite type of literature, but right now the girl's mother had just turned out to be the villain and wanted the girl to join the forces of darkness.

While he would never admit to being a fan of these sorts of teen paranormal novellas, Gaara was quite frankly hooked at this point and couldn't put the book down. Besides, on days like this, where the sun was shining and it was warm outside, the redhead preferred to curl up with a book and just enjoy the noises of the forest: the birds singing to one another, the squirrels skittering up the trees and fighting over acorns, the cicadas as they jittered and buzzed in a symphony… the sound of hollow limbs beating together to warn Gaara of an intruder.

Looking up suddenly, the redhead snapped the book shut and walked to his front door. Was it that time again already? Surely it should have taken longer for another player to find him. Gaara opened his door and walked out onto the shaded front porch, and he was shocked to see just who it was that had walked into his clearing.

"…Temari?" Gaara looked at his sister cautiously, "What are doing here?"

The wild-haired blonde gave her brother a smile, dusting off the front of her shorts. She'd come dressed for a hike through the woods, knowing exactly just what kind of ordeal it would be to reach her brother. "I came to check up on you. You haven't sent a letter in months. I was afraid someone might have gotten you."

Gaara raised an eyebrow, or at least he would have… but he frequently shaved them off. He didn't like his eyebrows. They were too thin, and they were more of a carrot orange color rather than the bright red like was on his head. The simple solution: no more eyebrows. The effect created an even greater look of skepticism on the boy as he looked down at his older sibling, "I sent a letter just last month. You didn't get it?"

"No…" Temari frowned. "You sent it to the post office in the Rose District, yes?"

"Yes…" Gaara nodded. This was all too weird. Temari should have never shown up here. That was their agreement when he promised to correspond with her.

"Then that's not good," Temari closed the distance between them a little bit. It wasn't much, just a casual few steps, but it put Gaara on the alert.

"Why are you _really_ here," Gaara's face was emotionless as he walked down the steps towards the sand. He wanted to make certain he was in position incase something ended up being wrong.

"Not another step, Gaara!" Temari reached behind her and pulled out a gun, aiming it at her brother. "I know what you have buried in the sand, and don't think I'm going to let you use them on me."

The redhead stopped on the bottom step, holding his hands out to the side to show her that he had no intention of moving, "So you drew my name?"

"No, Gaara…" Temari sneered, "An agent of the KBI drew your name. Kankuro went down to their headquarters to talk to them."

"I see…" Gaara smirked, "And your afraid that if they keep looking for me, then it's going to lead them to you."

"I've played this game far too well, for _far_ too long." There was a look of urgency in Temari's eyes, "I can't… I can't afford to have them investigating me now."

"I don't think you've played all that well," Gaara sighed, "Since we're being honest."

"What do you mean?" Temari scoffed, "I was playing when you were still in middle school. I kept our family afloat! No one connected me to any of my first kills, and now people don't even know that the people I kill are murder victims."

"Yet, you still feel that evidence can be traced to you," Gaara held up a finger, "No such thing as the perfect murder. There's always evidence to be found if people know what to start looking for… or whom. Besides, did you ever consider that the KBI would be watching you. I mean if they are looking for me, that would seem like an obvious conclusion."

"Yeah," she frowned, "Which is why it's come to this."

"You're like all the others," Gaara sighed, "What's more… you're the reason I have to live like this, Temari. Don't think our blood relation holds any sway in my mind."

"I don't think you're in a position to make threats, Gaara."

Temari pulled back the hammer on her pistol, and Gaara knew she was going to fire. He raised his foot just slightly, a movement that would look more like a nervous twitch than anything else, but Gaara was about to trigger a trap he had specially installed for any situation where he could possibly be prevented from reaching his other trigger mechanisms buried in the sand. He was about to do something utterly unthinkable. Most people would cringe at the thought, and personally he found it distasteful, but Gaara was about to kill his own sister. He would have done it without hesitation...

Then the entire clearing exploded with people.

"Freeze!" A golden-haired man in a black suit came bursting through the tree line, weapon raised and pointed at Temari. "Drop the weapon now!"

The man was accompanied by several other men in suits, along with forest rangers, local police, and Gaara was even more surprised to see his older brother, Kankuro, among them as well. Apparently Temari had been anxious for a reason… or she had lead them here, completely oblivious to the fact that she was being followed.

Gaara gave a death glare to his sister, hating her even more now that she had destroyed the seclusion and safety of his sanctuary. He was tempted now more than ever before to commit murder, but, with all of these law enforcement people here, the redhead couldn't bring himself to do it. Gaara placed his hands behind his head and backed up onto the porch.

"Temari," Kankuro came forward, "Put the gun down! What are you thinking?!"

"I was covering my own ass," Temari gritted her teeth, weapon still trained on Gaara, following him up the steps. "Tell your KBI buddies to drop their weapons, or I'll shoot Gaara where he stands!"

"If you don't lower your weapon, they will shoot _you_!" Kankuro tried to reason with her.

"No, they won't," Temari grinned. "They need him alive, and they can't guarantee that I won't shoot him. They shoot me, and my body might spasm… I'll pull this trigger, and then they don't get what they came here for."

Gaara watched the scene with mild fascination. All this effort just for him? And who was this golden-blonde agent who's gun was held with such certainty? The agent's aim didn't waver, didn't move, didn't even slightly alter… he held his gun with perfect, acute steadiness. Gaara was almost certain that the blonde could kill Temari in an instant, and the shot would be such a clean kill that her body wouldn't even get the chance of twitching. The redhead found himself intrigued by this lethal individual, very intrigued.

"Drop your weapons!" Temari shouted.

"Do what she says," the blonde agent ordered. All of the men gathered in the clearing dropped their weapons, but the blonde agent still never lowered his gun.

"You too, Blondie," Temari snapped. "Gun in the dirt."

"Not going to happen," the agent responded. "Someone has to make certain that you don't decide to start shooting people."

"I'm _going_ to start shooting people if you don't drop that goddamned gun!"

A shot rang out through the field.

Gaara's eyes widened in shock. Someone had fired.

Temari sputtered, looking down at the hole in her chest and then looking at the man who had shot her: Kankuro.

Her brother was holding a small, six round revolver that had been concealed in a holster on his ankle. The KBI hadn't frisked him because he had been compliant in handing over his badge, weapon, and spare ammo clip. He'd pulled this concealed weapon, and now he had just shot his sister… shot her to prevent her from shooting their little brother.

"Really, Kankuro?" Temari dropped to her knees, "Now our entire family are killers…" She let out a harsh laugh, spitting blood onto the sand, and then she fell over onto her side, her lifeless eyes looking up at Gaara with amusement.

"Agent Nara," the blonde man shouted, "Relieve Officer Kankuro of his weapon and place him under arrest!"

"No need," Kankuro turned his weapon over, pointing the handle towards a spiky-haired brunette man who came running up to take it. "I'll go along quietly."

"My brother didn't do anything wrong!" Gaara shouted from the porch.

"You're brother just discharged a concealed firearm after he was requested to relinquish he weapons," the blonde agent responded, "He just killed a potential witness in a very serious criminal investigation. Those are things considered to be wrong."

"Against the law, yes," Gaara nodded, "Wrong? No."

"Gaara, It's okay!" Kankuro smiled, "Just drop it!"

"Gaara," The blonde man said, holstering his weapon, "I'm not going to treat your brother unfairly. He's helped a great deal in my investigation, so please believe me that I'm just doing my job."

"You're the KBI agent Temari was talking about?" the redhead questioned.

"Yes."

"So you're a player?" Gaara's voice was apprehensive. "You drew my name?"

"Yes," the man held up his hands, "But I'm not here to hurt you. I want to protect you; I think you can help me with my investigation of The Game."

"What makes you think I can do that?"

"Your gang," the man explained, "They were involved. They followed The Game like a sporting event, right?"

"Yes." Gaara's reply was clipped. He felt trapped, as if the walls of a vice were closing in around him. This agent knew too much about him, had been hunting him, and Gaara didn't know a thing about the golden-haired KBI agent who, by all intents and purposes, should be trying to kill him.

"They knew about something called The Scorecard, am I right?" the agent was slowly walking towards Gaara, the same way someone might walk towards a frightened animal, trying not to scare it but still trying to get close enough to put their hands on it… and subdue it.

"Yes." Gaara, walked down to the bottom step, "Please don't come any closer, Agent…" The redhead faltered, not knowing what else to call the man before him. Gaara's brow furrowed, he hated not having the upper hand in an encounter.

"Call me, Naruto," the blonde smiled.

"Then don't come any closer, Naruto," Gaara said flatly. He really hoped that this man would be smarter than the others. The blonde seemed decent enough, different enough, but Gaara had learned time and time again that all players were just the same: look at Temari. Even his sister was little more than a murder.

"Okay," Naruto stopped moving, holding a hand out towards Gaara, "Then why don't you come with me? We'll go back to the Bureau, and you can answer some more questions there."

"No." Gaara shook his head.

Naruto closed his eyes, obviously repressing some frustration, "Gaara this will go much easier if we cooperate."

"I'll answer your questions, but I won't go with you."

"Gaara, you are suspect in an investigation involving serial killers," Naruto warned him. "I can place you under arrest if necessary… you will be _forced_ to come with me, but I don't want to do that."

"I'm not a murderer!" Gaara yelled, looking flustered.

Naruto held up his hands, not wanting to upset the redhead, "No one said you were."

"I've only defended myself!" Gaara's voice was still loud, and he looked towards Kankuro, wanting his brother to know this more than anything else, "I've only _ever_ defended myself! That's why I ran away, that's why I'm here. I have to be here so that I can defend myself!"

"You don't have to anymore!" Naruto urged, "We can keep you safe!"

"Do you still have my name?" Gaara asked, locking his dark, emerald eyes on the blonde.

"Well, not anymore," Naruto frowned.

"Then, no!" Gaara snapped, "Any player could find me if I go to into a city!"

"Naruto," Kankuro spoke up, "Can't you question him here? I mean, if Gaara cooperates, couldn't you question him here and leave an agent to make certain that he doesn't try and run?"

"No," Naruto said flatly, "I can't take that chance. I've already broken a lot of rules today. I can't afford to break anymore."

"What if I promise to cooperate?" Gaara pleaded, "What if I promise to stay here?"

"I'm sorry," Naruto gave Gaara an apologetic look. "If I could… but I have to do my job. Surely you understand?"

"If you take me into a city," Gaara glared at the blonde, "You might as well put a bullet in my head right now."

"The Bureau is one of the safest places in the country," Naruto countered, "We can set you up with a room and twenty-four hour protection."

"No!" Gaara shook his head. "No!" He slammed his foot on the bottom step, and the next thing Naruto knew-the entire clearing had exploded. Sand errupted everywhere, throwing fishing nets into the air which came down on top of KBI agents, police officers, and rangers, tangling up everyone's weapons that had been thrown to the ground.

Naruto managed to escape being ensnared, and he saw Gaara dart off into the woods. The blonde made to pursue, when he was suddenly tackled from behind. Naruto hit the ground with the force of a much larger person landing on top of him. He rolled, grabbing and pulling a handful of hair belonging to whomever had attacked him, and yanked the person off.

Scrambling to his knees, Naruto looked at his assailant, "Officer Kaze? What are you doing!?"

Kankuro gave him an apologetic smirk, "Protecting my little brother, Agent! If he thinks you're going to get him killed… I can't let that happen."

"You have no idea what you are getting in the way of!" Naruto shouted.

"You're right! But I know my brother. I trust him," Kankuro's face showed that he wasn't going to let Naruto get past him, and the broad, muscular man was standing between Naruto and the area of the forest where Gaara had disappeared.

"Get out of the way!" Naruto yelled, clenching his fists in frustration.

"No can do!"

Naruto lunged, trying to force his way past the man, but Kankuro caught him around the midsection and bodily threw him to the ground. In mid-air, Naruto recognized the move as a Judo technique; as he hit the ground again, Naruto felt the air rush out of his lungs as his back slammed into the dirt. Thankfully the clearing was primarily sand, otherwise it would have hurt a great deal more.

"Don't move!" Shikamaru's voice came from behind Naruto.

The blonde craned his neck, straining his eyes up to see that Agent Nara had a gun trained on Kankuro. Naruto struggled to his feet, shooting a grateful look at Shikamaru, "Thanks."

"I wasn't trying to hurt you," Kankuro put his hands behind his head, "I was just trying…"

"To save your brother," Naruto groaned. He felt a sharp pain in his side and felt for certain that the officer had managed to crack one of his ribs with that takedown.

"If you had a brother, Agent Uzumaki," Kankuro said solemnly, "You'd understand."

"I do understand," Naruto shook his head, "But you're both wrong. Gaara could have helped me."

"The way I see it," the police officer chuckled, "The KBI can't even help themselves." With a nod of his head, Kankuro gestured to the clearing where Gaara's uncanny snare had managed to throw the entire posse into disarray. People were still trying to disentangle themselves or their weapons from the netting.

Naruto hated to admit it, but Kankuro had a point. One youthful redhead had managed to completely overpower a group of trained agents. It was a disgrace.

"Should we go after him, Sir?" Shika nodded towards the woods where Gaara had vanished.

"He's gone," Naruto sighed, "Besides he could have more traps out there, potentially lethal ones. I don't want to risk anyone's lives. Have the agents search the house. See what they can find."

"And Officer Kaze?" Shika looked warily at Kankuro.

Naruto had turned to walk back to where his weapon had fallen in the sand. He paused, looking over his shoulder at the tattooed police officer, giving it a long thought. "He's under arrest for obstruction of justice."

"Just doing your job?" Kankuro smirked.

"I'd be lying if my ribs aren't getting a little satisfaction from it," Naruto grinned in return. He was still furious that everything they had worked for had just fallen apart, but Naruto couldn't fault Kankuro for doing what he felt was right. What the blonde _could_ do was place Kankuro under arrest and prevent him from interfering the next time they found Gaara, _if_ they were ever able to locate the redhead again.

* * *

**A/N - **

**Yay! Naruto met Gaara. I know, I know... people probably are upset that the meeting ended up with Gaara and Naruto separated, but hey! I have a plan. It's a good plan, and it's gonna work! Trust me! Things are looking up in the future.**

**Coming up soon we are going to get progress on the Sasuke/Sakura front. That drama is going to come to a head soon. We are also going to meet the Director and the Deputy Director of the KBI. They will be characters that people have probably been waiting to see show up in my story. We get to meet some knew KBI agents (seeing as Hinata was killed and Kiba is currently MIA). There are also going to be some new players showing up. After all... the field is getting a little bare. :P**

**Hope you enjoyed reading this, I enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you think in a Review. I love them! They make me do double updates!**


	31. The Undermarket

**Hooray! Yet another chapter ready to go! Today we are back with Sasuke! (that kind of rhymed)**

* * *

Lowtown, the underbelly of Konoha, a place ripe with gang violence, drug trafficking, and every assortment of illegal activity imaginable, it's gone by many names: The Undercity, Konoha Slums, the Shadow District. It is home to one of the largest, off-the-books economies in existence: the Undermarket.

The Undermarket was a collaboration of black market shops, back alley dealers, and underground theft rings where hot merchandise, unapproved drugs, and dozens of illegal computer programs developed by the best hackers in the world could be purchased, yet, there was something even darker, more sinister lying behind these shadows. It existed in only the faintest of whispers, yet everyone in Lowtown could see its effects.

The Game had a wide reaching grasp and a dedicated audience. Gang bangers had made mascots out of certain players, artists had developed trading cards and collector memorabilia based from conjecture and oral tales, and volumes of information had been compiled about the players and their exploits. It was for this very reason that The Game thrived in Lowtown. It was because its very existence was symbiotic to The Game. Lowtown profited because the players felt safe in conducting private and illicit business, and in return Lowtown gave The Game its greatest export: anonymity.

Sasuke had come to Lowtown looking for information about the player who had murdered Itachi. Normally it would be difficult to determine which player murdered another, primarily because most players in the game didn't last for very long. New players killed new players, and those who managed to survive for a few months, by luck or virtue, ended up making a mistake and were killed by the more elite; however, in the case of Itachi, who was one of the more beloved players who had existed in The Game for years, the people of Lowtown would have made it a priority to know as much of the story as possible.

He pushed the door open to a small café, a dive little place which served Ramen. Sasuke walked past the tables and the into the kitchen. The cooks and the bus boys ignored him as he went to one of the two refrigerated units. Opening the door, Sasuke stepped into an entirely different restaurant.

The lights were dim, most of the room covered in deep shadows, and wafts of smoke drifted up from a dozen lit cigarettes. One of the walls was lined with computer screens which had lists of spreadsheet data, which updated every few minutes or so. From a glance, Sasuke could see that there were currently a hundred or so player's stats posted on the screens. The Game was growing. When he was down here several months ago there was little more than half this number of screens.

"What can I getcha?" the bartender called out from over the constant murmur of patrons swapping stories, news, and gossip.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten my order already, Iruka," Sasuke smirked, coming to sit on a barstool.

"Karasu?" the bartender grinned, "It's been half a year! I would have sworn someone got you." Iruka was dressed in a simple black, button down shirt with matching pants, a red vest, and he was currently wiping a glass in a very stereotypical bartender fashion; however, the long scar that ran across the bridge of his nose set him apart from most people who tended bars in respectable establishments. "Vodka stinger, on the house." He slid the drink to Sasuke.

"Not yet," the raven caught the drink and placed his arms on the bar, leaning in conspiratorially, "And between you and me? I've got a foolproof way of assuring my continued survival."

Iruka mirrored Sasuke's pose, leaning in, "Anything you're willing to share?"

"Not on your life," the raven chuckled, "This is a long con."

"Then I look forward to hearing about it down the road," the bartender's eyes twinkled with intrigue, "So to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Sasuke took a sip of his drink and then looked toward the data screens, "I need information. The kind that isn't necessarily common knowledge."

"Is this about The Shadow?"

"Very astute," Sasuke frowned. Apparently Itachi's death was a more talked about event that Sasuke had realized.

"We were all quite appalled by it," Iruka sighed, running his fingers through his brown hair and tying it up into a ponytail. "For such a skilled player to be removed by poison."

"So it was poison?"

"Ricin," Iruka explained, "A nasty piece of work if I ever saw one. According to coroner reports obtained from the KBI database, it was enough to kill an elephant."

"How was it delivered?"

"To my best guess?" the bartender mused, "I would assume it was his coffee. The Shadow was always a creature of habit in the mornings. He hated waking up, and he needed that extra kick. Normally he came here."

"Do we know who…" Sasuke trailed off, looking over his shoulder to see that many of the shadowy clubs patrons were looking at him. This was the problem of being a player and coming to Lowtown: game groupies.

"A practical nobody," Iruka made a shooing motion to his customers, telling them to mind their own business. "The fans have taken to calling her The Cheerleader."

"Why?"

"I have no idea," the bartender laughed, "Where do any of these names come from? The Shadow? The Toad?"

"Point made," Sasuke finished his drink in one gulp. He turned the glass upside down and slammed it on the bar, "So, basically you have nothing for me."

"Rumor, conjecture, word-of-mouth," Iruka confessed, "But sadly I'm in the dark as much as you. Perhaps more, he wasn't my family."

"You knew?" Sasuke didn't think anyone knew about his relation to Itachi.

"Conjecture," Iruka winked, "But the two of you look so much alike."

"Don't remind me," the raven growled.

"I do have one thing you might be able to go on," Pulling a pen out of his vest pocket, Iruka wrote an address down on a bar napkin.

Picking it up, Sasuke looked at the location, "What's this?"

"That's the diner where The Shadow was killed. Rumor is that The Cheerleader worked there. It could be a lead."

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded absentmindedly, "It's better than having nothing to go on."

"So what's the plan?" Iruka asked.

Pushing himself up off the bar, Sasuke smirked, "That would be telling." He threw a few bills onto the bar as a tip for Iruka and then turned to leave.

"Take care of yourself, Karasu," the bartender called out.

"Always do." Sasuke waved goodbye and walked out. He weaved his way through the kitchen once more and walked through the dining area of the ramen shop. Exiting back into the light of day, Sasuke took a deep breath and thought about what he had learned. He had heard that Itachi had been poison, killed by an unknown player. The thought made the raven haired man sick. Poison was the most cowardly way to kill. It involved no skill, no personal connection to the victim, and it was insulting. For an Uchiha to have been killed in that manner was unforgivable.

Sasuke was so caught up in his own rage that he failed to notice the dark figure detach itself from the wall of the ramen shop. It walked up behind the raven, a glint of metal in its right hand.

An arm wrapped around Sasuke's neck and he felt the all too real sharpness of a blade pressed against his throat, "You asked to meet with me, Raven? How's my second favorite Uchiha doing?"

"Gemini," Sasuke said through gritted teeth, "Nice to see you."

"You must be getting soft if I can get the drop on you like this."

"Not at all," Sasuke smirked, "You feel that? That's the muzzle of a forty-five pressed against your manhood. We both know how much you value it."

"Heh."

Sasuke felt the knife and the arm disappear, and he turned around to get a look at this assailant. The Gemini was a very beautiful individual, whether he was dressed as woman or as a man. Thankfully he was his appropriate gender today. Sasuke always had an uncomfortable feeling talking to the cross dresser when he was a woman. It was the same feeling he got around drag queens. He got a shiver up his spine.

"What did you need me for?" the androgynous brunette asked, concealing the thin knife within his pulled up hair.

"You've heard about Itachi I would assume?"

There was a flash of anger in the man's eyes, "He didn't show up for dinner. I went to look for him… and all I found was a crime scene."

"Haku, I'm sorry…" Sasuke could see the hurt and the anguish in the Gemini's feature, even though the brunette was trying hard to conceal it.

"Keep your apologies," Haku snapped, "We both know the two of you hated one another."

"I didn't hate my brother!" Sasuke snapped. "We just didn't agree on certain things."

"You didn't agree with him being a faggot, you mean," the other man snarled.

"That's not…" Sasuke faltered. He and Itachi had fought about his brother's sexual preference. Thinking back on it now, it all seemed so trivial… so meaningless. "It was foolish."

"Yeah," Haku laughed, but it was completely void of anything humored. "You want to know the truly ironic thing? He always thought the two of you might reconcile."

"We could have," Sasuke admitted. "We were both stubborn."

"Tell me about it," Haku sighed, "I always thought that man was too stubborn to ever die. I thought he'd be immortal."

"I'm going to find who killed him," Sasuke promised. "I'm going to make them pay."

"Don't bother," Haku laughed, and this time there was no mistaking the cold lethality behind it, "I've already found them."

"Are they dead?" Sasuke asked, hoping that it wasn't so. Itachi's revenge was to be delivered by his family, not some cross-dressing sociopath.

"They will be," the Gemini grinned, "Very soon." Haku turned to leave, obviously done with this conversation.

"Give me the name!" Sasuke shouted after the name.

"What is it that you're always quoted saying?" Haku called out with a melodious taunt, as he vanished into the crowd of pedestrians crossing the street. "That would be telling…"

* * *

**A/N -**

**Fresh intrigue and insight! Who would have guessed it? Haku and Sasuke know one another! Not only that, but Haku and Itachi as lovers? I know! So many people are going to tell me that it is blasphemy! Haku's one and only is Zabuza! (I say to hell with that)**

**Hopefully you all enjoy this. Please leave a Review for my reading pleasure (think of it as a christmas present), and I will see you all tomorrow!**


	32. Introducing The Director

**So it was a debate deciding whether or not to post this chapter, or the next Sakura chapter. Seeing as how we had some Sasuke goodness last night, I decided to post this one. This chapter happens at pretty much the same time as Sasuke's previous chapter, timeline-wise, so I felt that people would like to at least know what was going on after the Gaara debacle! Enjoy!**

* * *

Naruto stood outside the temporary office which had been set up for the Director of the KBI: Dazno Shimura. Director Danzo was primarily situated in Capital City, but he left his central operations center whenever his attention was required in other districts. He'd arrived in Central City last night, where Naruto was supposed to have been there to meet with him. Instead, Naruto had gone off to chase a lead… which had ended up leading nowhere because the operation had been sabotaged by rogue police officer Kankuro Kaze.

Now, not only was Naruto still expected to debrief the Director about the progress of his investigation… he would likely be brought up on insubordination charges. This was not turning out to be his best day on the job.

It felt as if he had been standing for hours, just waiting for the man inside that room to request his presence. This was a power move on the Director's part. Naruto had insulted the man professionally by disobeying orders; Now, Director Shimura was displaying his control over Naruto by having the blonde wait an insulting amount of time outside of the office.

The handle on the door turned, and a white haired man in a charcoal suit appeared.

"Deputy Director, sir," Naruto gave a slight bow, "I wasn't aware that you were here."

"Take it easy, son," the older man smiled, stepping out of the office and closing the door behind him. "No need to be so formal. You'll want to save all of your groveling for Danzo. He's in a foul temper today."

"My fault, I'm afraid," Naruto frowned, running a hand through his blonde locks out of nervousness.

"Not just your fault," the older man looked sympathetic, "The Director is getting pressure from some powerful people in the government. This game has a lot of people worried; they want results."

"I was trying to get them," the blonde explained, knowing that if anyone would understand it would be the Deputy Director.

"I get that, I really do, but without anything to show for it," he looked at the blonde seriously, "You need to be prepared for the worst. Danzo will likely use you as a scapegoat."

"I've dedicated my entire life to this investigation, Jiraiya! He wouldn't!"

"Calm down, Naruto," the white haired man spoke with a tone of authority. His demeanor then softened, "I watched this case destroy your father long before it killed him. I can see it doing the same thing to you. It might not be such a bad thing to take a break."

"I got a ring," Naruto muttered, "Just like dad."

"Good god," Jiraiya put a hand over his mouth to cover his shock.

"You hadn't read the reports?" Naruto frowned.

"I was called in this morning. The Director knew I was a friend of your father's."

"It happened weeks ago," the blonde explained, "I've already killed two people who were after me… one of my agents ended up being a player in The Game… another of them has been shot because of this. I won't get a break if the Director takes this case away from me. I'll be getting a death sentence."

"Naruto…" Jiraiya was about to say something when the door opened again, interrupting him.

"The Director will see you now," an assistant said, stepping out of the office and motioning for Naruto to enter.

The blonde agent walked through the door with his head held high, and Jiraiya followed in after him, shutting the door.

Two men were standing in the office when Naruto entered. The first, a middle aged man with slicked-back, black hair and deep face wrinkles, was standing in front of the desk. He wore a black suit with a white shirt, red tie, and polished black leather shoes. Naruto immediately recognized him as the Director. The second man was standing next to the large, wall of plate glass windows that overlooked Central City. He wore a white suit, grey shirt and shoes, and had long brown hair that was well kept and pulled back into a professional looking hairstyle. Naruto couldn't see his face because the man had his back to the door, but he looked like he could work for the Bureau.

"Agent Uzumaki," the Director spoke, looking up from some documents on his desk, "We were supposed to be having his meeting eight hours ago."

"I apologize, sir," Naruto bent at the waist and gave a formal bow, "We received a break in the case which demanded immediate action. I sent word that I would be delayed."

"Yes, I received your message," Dazno waved dismissively, "What I want to know is if your little side show yielded any tangible results?"

"Yes, and no, sir."

"It cannot be both, Agent,' the Director gave him a stern glare, "Did you apprehend the man you were pursuing?"

Naruto paused, clenching his teeth before he spoke, "No, sir."

"I see," Danzo looked back down at his desk, moving a few papers around, "And the man who attacked you outside of the bar last night. Did you apprehend him?"

"No, sir," Naruto could see this going downhill quickly, "He was armed and refused to-"

"And the man who broke into your house? Did you apprehend him?"

"He was killed by the late Agent Hinata Hyuga," Naruto didn't liked being interrupted, "I was unable to place him under arrest."

"And the late agent," Danzo looked up, "You failed to bring her into custody as well?"

"She resisted arrest and attempted to fire on agents. I did what I had-"

"I've read the reports, Agent Uzumaki," the Direct held up a hand to silence him. "What I see here in black and white is more than clear enough. You have had substantial leads in this case, chances to make breakthroughs, all of which you have failed to capitalize on." Picking up several of the case files, Danzo threw them on the floor at Naruto's feet, "Most of these read like your private journal, Agent, filled with personal opinion and speculation. When I gave you this case, I expected the same calibur of results that your father was known for. Instead what you have given me is a long list of failures."

"Sir," Naruto protested.

"Be silent!" Danzo barked.

Dropping his head to prevent the Director from seeing the anger in his eyes, Naruto waited for what he knew was coming, what Jiraiya had warned him about… even with prior knowledge, Naruto wasn't ready to hear it.

"You are suspended from duty, effective immediately and pending internal investigation," Danzo handed out his punishment without so much as a trace of remorse or a flicker of emotion. "You will surrender your badge and gun. You will return home under protective detail. You will have no more involvement with this case."

"But…" Naruto clenched his fist, "My team and I are so close to answers."

"And they will carry on without you," Danzo looked at Naruto as if this were a simple concept to grasp. He then motioned to the man in the white suit, "This is Special Agent Neji Hyuga, one of the top investigators in Capital City. The case will be more than secure in his hands. I have found his methods to be both practical and effective."

"Hyuga?" Naruto looked at the second man in confusion.

Neji turned around, fixing a pair of cold, silver eyes upon Naruto, "Hinata was my first cousin. I thought it might be helpful to meet the man who killed her, but now I understand that was wasted hope."

Did he blame Naruto for Hinata's death? The blonde stood there aghast, wanting to defend himself but finding that no words came to his lips. Naruto blamed himself as well, and seeing that look of hatred in Neji's eyes… he could find no defense.

"Your gun and badge, Agent," Danzo held out his hands.

"Now, wait a second," Jiraiya spoke up, "I can understand taking his badge, but considering the facts about this case… two attempts have been made on Naruto's life. Taking away his method of protection, we may as well sign an execution order!"

The Director seemed to think this over, "You don't think a protection detail is enough?"

The white haired man shook his head, "They haven't been enough thus far."

"Very well," Danzo sighed, picking up a pen and scribbling down a note into the margins of a form on his desk, "Agent Uzumaki can keep his sidearm, but I still require his badge."

Stalking across the office, Naruto pulled the leather flip-book that contained his KBI credentials out of his suit jacket, slamming them onto the Director's desk. The blonde stared directly into Neji's silver eyes when he spoke, "You keep your eyes open. If you get a package on your desk that contains a ring… you sleep with that gun under your pillow, and don't trust anyone. Otherwise this case will be your last."

He didn't hear what the Director said next, and Naruto didn't care that Neji had smirked at him like he was a petulant child. The blond turned and walked out of the office. He ignored the fact that Jiraiya tried to follow him, and he shouldered past the Director's assistant who was trying to get him to sign a form. Naruto wove through the lines of cubicles and walked right up to the elevator, pushing the button for the lobby.

The case was no longer his. So what did that mean? He couldn't investigate? Like hell! They may have suspended him from the KBI, but The Game was not something you got a break from. Naruto knew for a fact that someone else was already pursing him. It was only a matter of time before the next attempt on his life. He would go home, and he would be ready for them. He wasn't allowed to be a KBI agent, so for the time being he would be a accept his rolls as a player in The Game.

* * *

**A/N -**

**Oh dear, I am prepared for the waves of comments that I SHALL receive *makes threatening guesture towards the review button* I wanna know your thoughts. Right now, or someone everybody loves is gonna get it. Maybe Kiba? **

**O.O **

**I'm crazy over here! I'll do it! Just ask one of my favorite readers Kreatyve. She'll tell you! I'm a crazy woman! I will use Kiba as leverage! Ten reviews or he gets it! Bwahaha!**


	33. Checking In before Checking Out

**I know, I know... people want to know "What happened to Kiba?!" I'm here to say it right now: I'm an evil person. You're just gonna have to wait. There are more pressing matters that I have to cover storywise at the moment. :)**

**Enjoy more of the Sakura Sasuke Dynamic!**

* * *

Sakura had just paid the motel clerk with the money Karasu had given her. The raven had left hours ago and told her to come here and get a room, to pay with cash, and to not attract attention to herself. Running a hand through her pink hair, Sakura picked up their two bags. Karasu carried all of his possessions in a leather duffle, and Sakura had packed a woven carry-all. They weren't heavy, but it had everything they needed, which was good for constantly being on the move.

It was a short walk to their room. Sakura exited the office and turned right, walking down to number 105. It was a ground level room that had easy access to the main streets. Karasu had requested this. He had told her that not only did it put their room in sight of the entire world, which would prevent nervous players from trying to draw attention to themselves, but it also made it easier for them to flee if they had to escape pursuit from players who didn't care what kind of messes they made.

She stuck the key into the lock, turned it, and pushed the door open.

The room was simple. Brown carpets which could hide most stains, beige walls, a small bathroom… and one bed. Sakura's eyes widened at the implications, but this motel didn't offer any other accommodations. It was, for all intents and purposes, a sex motel, one of those places that charged by the hour if you wanted.

Tossing their bags onto the floor, Sakura flopped down onto the bed. She didn't know when Sasuke was going to return, nor did Sakura have any idea what he had been doing. It's not that she was particularly nosey, but given the events of the past few days, Sakura had grown accustomed to not having to put up with the rigors of the game by herself.

Karasu was still skeptical about the benefits of their alliance, and Sakura knew just how tenuous it was. What she hoped for was a chance to prove her value, she knew that her idea had merit and if two people worked hard enough to trust one another; then there wasn't a single thing that could stop them from dominating the game. They couldn't afford to get careless, but they could definitely afford to rest easier with their advantage.

The doorknob to their room jiggled, and Sakura was on her feet in an instant, pulling her gun from within her jacket and pointing it at the door. The wooden barrier pushed open to reveal Karasu, looking broody as ever. His raven hair was a mess, and his dark clothes only helped create a visible representation of the dour, sullen aura he was giving off.

The raven took one look at Sakura and her gun, and he smirked, "Good to see you too." He pulled off his black leather jacket and tossed it on top of his bag.

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Sakura put her gun away and sat back down on the bed, "You gave me a heart attack, Karasu!"

"You scare too easily," the raven muttered, "You're more likely to miss your target when your nerves are on edge."

With a huff Sakura crossed her arms, "Yeah, well… you could have knocked."

"A player would have knocked. You'd have gotten up to check the door," the man grinned, "They would have shot you through the peephole."

"Are you always this morbid?"

"Pragmatic," Karasu shrugged, "You need to be more careful. You learn what you need to survive when I tell it to you, otherwise you're useless."

"Fine," Sakura conceded, having no desire to argue.

The raven reached into his bag and pulled out his laptop, plugging it into the wall and connecting to the free Wi-Fi. They sat in silence for several minutes. Sakura bored out of her mind, while her companion did what he always did: scoured the internet for information. Lately Karasu had been obsessed with that blonde KBI agent. Every time Sakura asked about Naruto Uzumaki, the raven would say that it was none of her business. Karasu claimed it was idle curiosity, but the pink haired girl had suspicions that there was something else there.

"Where did you go today?" she ventured asking him about his day.

"Lowtown," the man replied abruptly.

"Anything important?"

"Information."

"What kind of information?" Sakura was about ready to scream at him that he was about as communicative as a wall.

"Hn."

"Fine!" she flopped back on the bed, "Next time say you don't want to talk. Being honest and rude is better than just being plain rude."

The raven looked up from his laptop, confused. "I don't see how it is any of your business."

"It isn't," Sakura stared at the ceiling, counting the cracks in the sheetrock. "I just thought you might like to talk."

"I found an address for something important," Karasu offered. He pulled the a white, paper bar napkin out of his pocket and read off an address.

"That's the diner where I used to work," Sakura said, rolling over onto her side, "What's so important about it?"

The raven just stared at Sakura. His dark eyes looked completely void of any emotions, so it was impossible for her to read what he might have been thinking. Still, Sakura got the feeling like something she had said managed to anger the brooding man; though, how she could have made him angry was beyond her.

"You say this address belongs to a diner?

"Yeah…" Sakura failed to see why he was asking her this.

"You're certain?"

"Again, yeah!"

Karasu looked down at the laptop, biting his bottom lip. "Take me there tomorrow," he said finally, not looking up.

"Excuse me?" Sakura riled, offended that he was ordering her around.

The man looked up at her, questioning the sudden change in her attitude.

"You don't just order me around!"

"Oh," the man thought for a second, "Please, then." Without a second's pause, the raven returned to his laptop as if the entire matter were settled. He hadn't even given Sakura a chance to think about it.

"No."

"What?" this forced the man to look up from his work yet again, which was causing him to get agitated.

"I'm not going to take you just because you say so."

Karasu's eyes thinned to slits as he glared at Sakura, "I said please. I don't do that often."

"Yeah, well, last time I was there someone tried to kill me, so," Sakura turned her back to him, "Forgive me if I'm trying to stay as far away from there as possible."

"You are so annoying!" the man muttered.

"I'm annoying?!" Sakura leapt to her feet and rounded on the dark haired man. "You're the one who barely speaks more than two words to me at a time. You give cryptic advice, and you expect me to just do whatever you say. How is that not annoying?"

"Because I'm right," the man said simply. "There really is no logical reason for you to argue with me when I'm right."

"God! You are so arrogant!" Sakura yelled, "Would it hurt you to just treat me like a human being?"

Looking as if such a thought were completely lost on him, Karasu seemed to ponder her words. After several long moments of silence passed, he spoke. "You know if you keep getting angry like this, you'll get wrinkles right around your eyes and across you forehead. They'd be quite prominent."

"What?" Sakura's mouth fell open. Had he just insulted her?

"I'm just trying to be helpful."

"Fuck you!" she shouted, lashing out with her foot to kick him.

The raven grabbed her foot, which pulled Sakura off balance. She went tumbling forward, landing right on top of Karasu. The fall shut his laptop and knocked it away, and the pink haired girl ended up sprawled across the raven haired man, somewhat sitting in his lap. Surprisingly, Karasu had tried to catch her, so his arms were around her back to keep her from falling any closer to the floor.

As she got her wits about her, Sakura noticed how close their faces were to each other; she blushed a bright red almost instantly. "Sorry…" she whispered.

"Hn," the raven replied. "You're heavy."

"And you're an ass," she sighed. Any moment of attraction to him had been completely destroyed. She untangled her body from his arms and made to get up, but the raven pulled her back down into this lap.

"I'm sorry too," he muttered.

Sakura looked at him in shock, feeling heat rise in her cheeks once again. "…For?" she asked.

"For assuming that you'd do what I said," the raven explained. "Would you please take me to the diner tomorrow?"

"Sure…" Sakura breathed. "Whatever, it's not like it is that big a deal."

She looked into his eyes and could see the spark of victory in their ebony depths, but Sakura didn't particularly care. She was too busy staring at just how handsome Karasu actually was, especially this close.

Karasu leaned forward and planted a light kiss on Sakura's cheek, causing her entire head to spin. "Thank you," he smiled, though it was closer to his trademark smirk than an actual smile. He then lifted her up out of his lap, picked up his laptop, and opened it to continue working. The raven completely acted as if nothing had just transpired in the last few minutes, leaving Sakura completely confused as she returned to her position on the bed.

She still had nothing to do, but she was no longer bored.

Now she had plenty of thoughts running around in her head to occupy her time.

* * *

**A/N - **

**Oh this chapter made me happy. So many little forshadowings tucked here and there. It's gonna be fun in the future. You have no idea how much I'm enjoying writing this story.**

**Also, a question for all of my regulars (which you can tell me via PM or Review, I don't care): I know how to end this section of the story. Meaning that I could effectively put a "completed" on Play For Your Life; however, that would mean a sequel fic would start up almost immediately because the grand scope of the story would not be finished. So here's my question: would you like me to end this fiction with a BANG! and start what would essentially be PFYL: Round 2? Or would you rather I just continue to post all the chapters in one place?**


	34. The City at Night

**Guess what? It's Double Update Saturday! Brought to you by Gaara!**

* * *

The city was noisy. Police sirens, car horns, roaring traffic, people shouting… it was a cacophonic uproar that threatened to drive Gaara insane. He was huddled up in a hotel, sitting in the only chair in the room with his knees curled up under his chin and his hands over his ears trying to block out all of the noise.

He hated it here. He hated the smell of car exhaust, the artificial lights, the endless pavement… Gaara wanted nothing more than to be back in his cabin with his book. A book that he would never get to finish because the KBI had most likely confiscated the contents of his home as evidence.

Emerald eyes glared at the blank wall in front of him as Gaara tried fruitlessly to determine where he was supposed to go next. He couldn't stay here, not when someone out there wanted to kill him; he couldn't go home because the KBI had taken all of that from him. The redhead was stymied.

"Damn you, Temari!" he groaned, "You stupid _bitch_!"

He had never hated an individual before, but Gaara was willing to make an exception for his idiotic blonde sibling. Deep down, he was glad she'd been shot. Temari had deserved it after everything she had done. She'd entered the game during her high school years, and she'd enjoyed it. One afternoon, after she had graduated, Temari had come home with blood on her hands. Gaara had ended up going home from school early, sent home with because of a cold, so he had witnessed his sister washing the blood off.

Temari had told him it was nothing to worry about, then she proceeded to explain everything about The Game to Gaara, effectively signing his execution at the age of fifteen. He had refused to play The Game at first, thinking that it would all go away like a bad dream. The night he was attacked coming home from a schoolmate's house, Gaara's assailant was run off by a group of local gangbangers who called themselves the Jinchuriki.

Knowing that there was safety in numbers, Gaara had joined the gang, using it as a shield from those who would try and kill him. It had seemed like a solid plan… that was until he learned that they were obsessed with anything and everything they could find out about The Game and its players. Gaara knew his association with the gang would eventually put him in harms way, so he did the only logical thing. He fled.

Gaara had wandered for several months, fleeing from each person who wanted him dead and learning that the best way to defend one's self was to not be the one doing the fighting. He learned how to set up traps, snares, and other stumbling blocks to impede his opponents. Eventually he learned that these traps could be lethal. That was never his first option, but after one of the players had stabbed him in the shoulder, Gaara couldn't afford to take chances.

He never killed by choice. In fact, had he gotten his way, Gaara would have never killed a single person. But such a choice was out of his hands; therefore he did the only thing he could. He defended himself. He made it very obvious that people shouldn't follow him, shouldn't try and harm him, but if they persisted then they would be killing themselves. In his moral code, Gaara had done everything required of him to prevent a loss of life.

Still, he hated running. Wanting to take his new philosophy and use it to settle down somewhere secluded. Gaara had called the only person he could think of: Temari. Yes, she had been the one who had ruined his life, something the redhead had never forgiven his sister for; Gaara knew he had to let the past go in order to move forward. Temari had been surprised by Gaara contacting her, but she had been more than happy to help him get set up in the woods.

But like Temari had done her entire life, she had managed to screw Gaara over yet again. In a vain attempt at self preservation, Temari had not only destroyed her own anonymity, but taken Gaara's away as well. Now he was running from enemy players AND the Konoha government. Things couldn't get any worse, not to mention Gaara felt completely defenseless without the field of traps surrounding his house.

Yes, he had rigged the door to explode, should anyone try and get in without Gaara disabling the device. He had also laid a trap outside his window, incase someone tried to come after him there. For all intents and purposes, Gaara should have felt safe, but he didn't.

He should have been sleeping, considering that it was almost midnight and he would have to continue moving in the morning, but Gaara couldn't sleep. Not with the noise and the apprehension. He didn't feel safe… he didn't feel protected.

"I can protect you."

That's what the KBI agent had said. What was his name? Naruto Uzumaki?

Gaara remembered how the blonde agent had stood his ground against Temari, how he had been ready to shoot her without hesitation. He had also watched the confrontation between Kankuro and the KBI agent, and Gaara had noted that Naruto had specifically tried to circumvent Kankuro rather than fight him. This Naruto Uzumaki had a code of morality, and Gaara had an inclination that it was similar to his own.

Getting up from his chair, Gaara walked over to the only possession he had left in the world: a small traveling bag which he had stashed in the woods. It was packed as a last resort, incase his world had gone to hell. Gaara couldn't think of anything other way to describe his current situation.

Picking up the bag, he pulled out a small netbook. It was a device Gaara had found on one of the players who had tried to kill him, and the redhead suspected that if he ever had to leave his cabin, then he might need some way of connecting to the outside world. Always the pragmatic individual, Gaara had included the netbook as part of his last resort plan. Setting the bag down now that he had what he wanted, the redhead climbed back into the chair, placing the tiny computer on the bed and turning it on.

It took him a moment to figure out how to connect to the wireless internet that the hotel provided; he had to call the front desk for instructions, but Gaara finally managed to get online. He pulled up a search engine and typed in: Naruto Uzumaki KBI.

The website pulled up several news articles, one of which had a picture. There, in the tiny pixels of the computer screen, Gaara had found the man who'd been occupying his thoughts for the past hours. It had started out as anger, resentment that the KBI agent had destroyed his life, but Gaara quickly realized that Naruto hadn't destroy his life… no, Temari had done that. Naruto was just doing his job, a job he was apparently very good at.

Having realized this, Gaara then began forming a plan of action. There was a chance that it might not work; it could get him killed. At this point it didn't matter. Gaara knew he was out of options, so he had to act… quickly.

"So, you'll protect me?" Gaara asked the picture. "I hope so…"

* * *

**A/N - **

**The name of Gaara's gang is an homage to Kreatyve and her story "Let's Play A Love Game". Hopefully she approves. ;)**

**This story is going to start moving forward with plot, and I'm quite excited for some of the things that are ahead. You should be too! We are almost at our 10 reviews, so if you want to save Kiba's life... well, you know what I'm demanding!**


	35. Case File: July 2nd, 2011

**I just wanted to let everyone know: I have a second Naruto fic that is going on. It is called Sasuke and the Kyuubi. It is a reimagined version of Beauty and the Beast. Go check it out! ;)**

* * *

**[Case Update # 61]  
****7/2/2011**

**[Let the record show that head investigator on this case has been changed to Neji Hyuga]**

This is my first note of record on this case. As head investigator I have taken several days to familiarize myself with the case notes from the previous Agents in-charge of this investigation.

While Agent Minato Namikaze kept concise, accurate notes about this case, I've come to realize that he made very little progress in this investigation before his death. Agent Naruto Uzumaki, while sometimes irregular in his investigative techniques and my personal opinions aside, was actually quite thorough in his investigation. He uncovered literally hundreds of cold case files, murders dating back over more than a decade, which could be connected to our investigation. That was an intriguing insight and one that I may not have considered myself. Seeing as how this investigation isn't even a year old, it is difficult to comprehend that this "game" could have repercussions stretching back longer than my career.

I do have one issue with Agent Uzumaki's case files.

It would appear that he kept most of the "speculations" which the Director spoke of inside his own head, not in these case files; therefore, whatever conclusions Naruto Uzumaki may have been drawing, or where he intended to steer this investigation next, are beyond my knowledge. I am going to have to take what information is here and begin drawing my own conclusions.

I received ballistics reports from the weapon that fired at Agent Uzumaki outside his home. It would appear that the same gun responsible for those shots also fired the bullet which wounded Junior Agent Kiba Inuzuka. I've put in a request for someone to compile a list of every person who purchased that brand of weapon in the past ten years. While the gun was most likely purchased in the Undermarket, we may be able to find out who originally owned the weapon and begin tracing it from there.

Agent Inuzuka is expected to make a full recovery, but medical reports inform me that he will not be able to return to active duty for several months. Junior Agent Shikamaru Nara also requested to take a leave of absence during this time. Agent Nara claims that it is for family matters, and, while I suspect that his actions are out of loyalty to my predecessor, I have no recourse or evidence with which to deny Agent Nara his requested leave. This makes my new investigation understaffed at the moment, but I have called in some favors from Capital City. I should have some capable agents here within 24 hours.

I'm not one to sit around waiting for information to come across my desk. I noticed several instances in previous reports about a murder victim, Itachi Uchiha, who was killed at a diner in the Western District. No one has yet gone to investigate or question the employees, so I have decided to start my investigation there. There are several cold cases that involve Ricin poisoning, all of whom were killed in the Western District in the past seven months. This is clearly a calling card for a particular player in this "game"; once I locate the culprit and bring them in for questioning, I'm certain that I will manage to break open this case in a way that Agent Uzumaki has failed to.

**[Sign off: Special Agent In-charge, Neji Hyuga]**

* * *

**A/N -**

**Alrighty. I know this is probably a cop-out, but I'm on vacation! Don't judge me! I'll give you something more enjoyable tomorrow. **

**However, for many people who have been thinking: "God! Sakura is so dumb, why hasn't she been caught yet!?" Well, guess what. Neji is on the case! What could this mean for The Cheerleader? **

**Tune in next time!**


	36. Making a Recovery

**Alright! I got my ransom. Enjoy.**

* * *

There was the soft, faint sound of something.

It was high pitched, repetitive, and Kiba wanted nothing more than to punch it. Every time it rang out, the brunette felt as if something where punching him in the skull. Why? Why would there be something right next to his head, beeping on and on without any purpose?

Groggily coming out of what had been a really good dream, hell! He had kissed Naruto in his dream, saved Naruto from a bad guy… and… It all came rushing back to Kiba in an instant, his eyes snapping wide open as he practically shot up from where he was laying.

A sharp pain flared in his left shoulder, reminding Kiba further that he had truly been shot. It hadn't been a dream. Was Naruto alright? He couldn't remember, and where was that incessant beeping noise coming from?! Turning toward the harsh sound, he noticed he was in a hospital room, surrounded by monitors and connected to all kinds of machines. There were IV lines connected to his arms, heart monitor sensors, brainwave sensors, wires everywhere… things must have been bad for all these machines to be connected to him.

Kiba wasn't one to generally worry. Even the machines weren't enough to cause him to panic. Yeah, he felt like shit, but he also felt alive. Alive was good. His brain was surprisingly clear, and Kiba remarked at his clarity by using it to gauge his surroundings. Flowers littered the bedside table and were scattered around the room; apparently someone gave a damn about whether or not he lived or died. Still, you'd think someone would have been here to keep an eye on him, to inform him of what had happened when he woke up.

As if heaven had been waiting on him to think this, Kiba heard a toilet flush, then there was the sound of running water. The brunette turned to look for the sound, locating a closed door off to his right. _That must be where the bathroom is_, he thought. Suddenly he realized that he might need to use those facilities, and soon.

The bathroom door opened, and the one person Kiba had been thinking about stepped into view.

"Naruto!" Kiba exclaimed, his face lighting up with a wide smile, "You're alright!"

"Kiba! Thank god!" the blonde rushed over. There was a look of relief that washed over Naruto's face, and it looked like he had been awake for a long time.

"Dude! You look like hell," Kiba muttered, cocking his head to the side, curious as to why Naruto looked so unkempt.

"Says the gunshot victim," Naruto smiled warmly, pulling up a chair so he could sit beside the patient.

"I've had worse," the brunette lied, "I'm more interested in you. Why do you look like you haven't slept."

"Because I haven't," Naruto confessed. "I've been here all night."

'What?" Kiba's jaw dropped, "Why!?"

Kiba wanted to think it was for other reasons, such as Naruto having feelings for him. After all, he had kissed the blonde. Then again, he had thought he was dying and would never have to answer for his actions. Apparently he had been wrong about that, and Kiba could be wrong about this. Naruto was probably just doing his job, worrying about the agents under his command.

"A lot…" Naruto paused, looking at the floor. Something was obviously troubling him. "A lot has happened while you've been unconscious."

"How long have I been out?"

"Three days," Naruto frowned, locking his brilliant blue eyes upon Kiba.

The brunette felt his heart start racing immediately, so of course, the heart monitor beside him decided that now was the perfect time to get even _louder_. It began to beep rapidly, and Naruto looked at the machine with concern. "Don't!" Kiba held up a hand to stop Naruto from calling the nurse. He turned to the side and pretended to cough, hiding the blush that had crept onto his cheeks from embarrassment. Naruto shouldn't have had such an affect on him; Kiba knew he was crushing hard at this point. "I'm fine. Honest!" Putting on his best smile, Kiba turned back to the blonde to reassure him that no nurses were required.

When was he ever going to get the blonde alone again? Not anytime soon with Naruto's busy schedule.

"So what have I missed," Kiba asked, rearranging his pillow so that he could sit more comfortably.

"We found Gaara," Naruto smirked, "It happened right after we got you to the hospital."

"Awesome!" Kiba grinned.

"But he got away," the blonde didn't return the smile. "Gaara's brother had helped us locate him, but he also prevented us from taking him into custody."

"Damn," that was such a bummer. Kiba had wanted to hear good news; although he wasn't surprised to hear this. Kankuro had seemed like the type of man who would put his family ahead of his civic duty.

"Oh, it get's better," Naruto muttered. "The Director came into town when he heard you were shot. I was supposed to brief him, but instead I went after Gaara."

"Oh, shit…"

Kiba could already tell he didn't like where this story was going. The Director was a hard ass, and, if Naruto was already in hot water for something and he disobeyed an order, there was no telling what kind of trouble the blonde had gotten him self into.

"I've been suspended," Naruto put his face into his hands, rubbing his eyes in frustration.

"For how long?" Kiba ventured timidly. He could see how stressed out Naruto was, and he didn't want to contribute by making him talk about things that were obviously causing said stress.

"Indefinitely?" Naruto shrugged, sitting up and letting out a deep sigh. The blonde then collapsed into his chair, looking utterly defeated. "Danzo said I was biased, unable to look at the case without my personal feelings getting involved. Hell, maybe he's right! Doesn't matter... My case has been reassigned to another Head Investigator."

"The fuck!?" Kiba swore, throwing his pillow and following that up with a long, loud string of obscenities. "That bastard! Does he have any idea how long you've worked on this case? How much you've put into it?"

"I'm certain he does, but he needed a scapegoat for the politicians and the public," smirking, Naruto couldn't help but have his spirits lifted by Kiba's staunch support of his abilities. "I apparently make the perfect patsy for taking the fall."

"Well that's bullshit!" Kiba huffed, crossing his arms and glaring menacingly at a bare spot on the wall in front of him.

"Yep," Naruto stared at the same spot, and the two of them sat in silence for a long time, neither one of them willing to speak.

Kiba was sitting there fuming, angry that Naruto had been treated so unfairly. He didn't know what he could say or do to make it better, and there was probably nothing he could do, but… dammit! He wanted to help. Naruto needed someone to take his side, and here Kiba was: stuck in a hospital bed, cursing at a wall.

On the other hand, Naruto was sitting there, and all the blonde could think about was the fact that Kiba had kissed him. It had been haunting him for days now. He'd been afraid that Kiba would die, and they would never get to talk about it. When the hospital had called to inform him that Kiba made it out of surgery, but that the brunette was unconscious, Naruto had feared Kiba would never wake up again. Now, here they were, and they had a chance to talk about it. For Naruto, it was like the elephant in the room, but Kiba didn't even seem to remember it.

"So…" Kiba broke the silence, looking over at the blonde as he voice trailed off.

"So?" Naruto questioned.

"I kissed you!" Kiba blurted out, looking down at the bed sheets. He wasn't willing to meet Naruto's eyes, afraid what he might see in them.

"Yeah," Naruto smiled gently, "About that…"

"I'm sorry!" Kiba spoke quickly, looking up and pleading, "I didn't mean anything by it. I thought I was going to die and so…" The was a slight note of panic in his voice as Kiba rushed through his confession, "Please don't take me off the case!"

Naruto looked a little crestfallen. Kiba had just said the kiss didn't mean anything; it had merely been the product of a dying man's last wishes. For some reason that thought hurt, and Naruto couldn't really explain why. "Don't worry," he said, resting a hand on Kiba's shoulder, "I'm not in charge of the case any longer, so… you're good."

"Right," Kiba blushed, embarrassed that he had forgotten the reason for his recent outrage. "In that case, my only regret is that it was a crappy kiss?"

"Come again?" the blonde's eyes widened. Hadn't Kiba just said that the kiss was meaningless.

"Yeah, I mean… come on!" Kiba laughed nervously, fiddling with the corner of his blanket as he spoke. "I was shot! Blood everywhere, and you were so busy screaming. Crappy kiss…"

"It wasn't that bad," Naruto muttered.

"It was horrid," Kiba fixed the blonde with his chocolate colored eyes. "I can do much better."

"Oh, really?" As if to challenge that statement, Naruto raised a golden eyebrow in skepticism.

Not willing to back down from any challenge offered to him, Kiba moved to the edge of the bed and placed a hand behind the blonde's head, pulling him close and kissing him without warning. At first Naruto bristled, shocked and caught off-guard by the sudden movement, but the moment Kiba's lips pressed against his, a warm feeling flooded into Naruto's brain.

The blonde leaned into the kiss, and Kiba took that as a good sign, looping his fingers into the soft, golden tresses of Naruto's hair. This was something he had wanted to do for months, possibly longer. Kiba had noticed that the Head Investigator was attractive. Yes, they had started off with a slight animosity, but now… here they were. Kiba was kissing those warm, soft lips which tasted a little like caramel and spearmint. Some people might say that the two didn't go together, but, for someone who'd been unconscious for three days with only fluids for nourishment, Kiba thought it was the most tantalizing taste ever.

Naruto's hands, which had been lying on the arms of his chair, suddenly were wrapped around Kiba's waist as the blonde rose from his seated position. Naruto was now leaning over him, and Kiba slid back onto the bed, realizing that the blonde was trying to make this as comfortable for him as possible.

Considerate and sexy, Naruto was impressive.

Reaching up with this other hand, Kiba decided he wanted to play with the blonde's delightfully soft, fluffy hair, but as soon as he moved his left arm, pain shot through his shoulder, forcing Kiba to break the kiss as he winched. He let out a gasp and a choked cry as the seizing pain caused his spine to curl, and he hunched over, wrapping his arms around himself to try and make it stop.

"Are you alright?" Naruto was fussing over him instantly, "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have…"

"Shut up!" Kiba barked, probably a little too harsh, but the pain wasn't allowing him to be tactful. "It was my fault anyways."

"Still…"

"Shush!" the brunette wasn't going to hear anything close to an apology leave Naruto's lips. No way was the blonde going to ruin that moment. "I told you I could do better," Kiba grinned mischievously, though it was followed by a grimace when the pain spiked again.

"Well, it was definitely less bloody," Naruto smirked, "And aside from the fact that you ended up in the fetal position? Yeah, I'd say that was better."

"Could you get my pillow, please?" Kiba pointed to where he'd thrown it earlier.

Naruto nodded, walking to the foot of the bed and bending over to pick the pillow up from the floor. The blonde fluffed it and then handed it to Kiba. "Thanks," the brunette placed the pillow behind him and leaned backwards, taking several deep breaths as he waited for the pain to subside. It took several moments, which they spent in silence. Naruto anxiously waiting to see if Kiba was going to need a nurse.

Kiba was glad for these few moments to collect himself. He needed to be ready for the obvious conversation that was going to come up. "So…" he ventured, taking a deep breath as the pain was finally manageable. "We kissed."

"We did," Naruto nodded, going back to his chair and slowly taking a seat. The blonde placed his hands in his lap, and waited patiently for Kiba to continue, never once diverting his beautiful, cerulean gaze from the man in the hospital bed.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Kiba blushed for what felt like the hundredth time, "Where does that leave us?"

"Honestly?" Naruto looked as if he hadn't considered the possibilities, but Kiba was certain he had already thought through dozens of outcomes for their potential romance.

The brunette was quite certain that he would be hearing the "lets just be friends" speech, which was certain to break his heart, but if it was coming Kiba wanted to hear it now rather than later. "Yes," he brunette nodded, "The truth."

"I really don't know," Naruto sighed. "Yesterday I would have said there wasn't a chance in hell it would work. Us working together? It would have created too many liabilities for the investigation, for your future…"

"And now?" Kiba dared to hope for something worthwhile to come out of this conversation.

"I wouldn't necessarily say the circumstances have improved," a solemn look came over Naruto's face, his features etched with uncertainty. "I'm still stuck as a player in this game, whether or not the Director removed me from the case, and that means the chances that one, or both of us, could be hurt or killed are astronomically high."

"I don't care about that!" Kiba growled, "Someone has to watch your back!"

"Yeah?" Naruto smirked, giving a look as if Kiba had somehow offended him.

"Yes," the brunette crossed his arms, refusing to say otherwise. "You're so busy thinking ten steps ahead, that you sometimes forget to look right in front of you. That's where I come in."

"Tell you what," Naruto sighed, finally coming to a decision, "Why don't we wait until you've gotten out of this place. The doctors say it's going to be a few weeks. No one is saying we have to make a decision this moment, and there's so much going on at the moment."

"So you're saying we see where this ends up down the road?" Kiba raised an eyebrow, curious to see if he'd heard correctly.

"Yes."

"How do we do that?" Kiba asked.

"However normal people go about it?" Naruto gave him a questioning look.

"That sounds an awful lot like dating to me," the brunette grinned.

"How else do you find out if you can stand to be around someone?" Naruto challenged.

"Oh, I'm not complaining," Kiba's grin only got wider, "Just a fair warning: you're gonna fall so hard for me that you'll never want to let me go."

Naruto laughed, but deep-down he realized that there was indeed that possibility. He and Kiba were so much alike, that there was no doubt in his mind that they could get along. The fact that the brunette was attractive, well, that was only icing on the cake, but there were still too many things to consider. For all Naruto knew, he could be dead this evening. It was best to just see how things played out, and if things didn't work… well at least they would have tried. What could possibly be worse than that?

"Alright, well I'm going to get out of here and let you get some rest," Naruto stood up and grabbed his suit jacket off the table in the corner of the room. "I'll be back to check on you tomorrow."

"I'll be here," Kiba motioned to the bed and the monitors, "Dying of boredom."

"You better not," the blonde warned sternly, "Too many people have been worried about you."

"Fine!" the brunette threw his hands up in surrender, "At least bring something to entertain me!" He called out after the departing blonde. Naruto just smiled and waved goodbye, leaving Kiba to once again stare at the blank wall.

Alright, so he was alive...

Kiba had managed to conquer the elephant in the room, and he'd gotten another kiss out of the ordeal. Despite the burning pain in his shoulder, the injured brunette couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Still, he couldn't shake a nagging feeling that when Naruto walked out of that door, everything was going to change.

* * *

**A/N - **

**Alright, I'm prepared to take whatever abuse is going to come my way. So many people do not enjoy NaruKiba, but well... I love my triangles of Love and well, I gotta start somewhere. :P**

**Not much to say today. I'm on vacation so! Leave me a review, and I'll see you tomorrow.**


	37. Cashing Out, Winning Big

**Tee hee... Tsunade chapter ahead. I'm not going to say anything to spoil it. So go read! Notes at the end!**

* * *

Tsunade should have left The Roost hours ago. She knew this. In the back of her mind, a voice kept nagging her that it was past time. It was common knowledge in the Rose District that she spent her free time here, and as one of the more popular players in the Game, it was practically asking for trouble if she just sat here, continuing to play cards.

But she'd been on a losing streak. The past three hours had put her in a foul mood, and she couldn't bring herself to leave without at least one more big score. How long could it take?

Looking down at her cards, Tsunade didn't think it would take much longer. All she needed was the Ace of Spades and she'd be unbeatable. She'd have four aces and no one at the table could have a better hand than that. Yes, the Royal flush was a better hand, but if she had all of the Aces? No one could get a Royal flush on her.

She'd switched games about an hour ago, leaving behind Hold 'Em poker for the more traditional Five Card Draw, and she felt that her luck was about to change.

Apparently so did everyone else at the table, because the pot had grown enormously. Fifty thousand dollars was in the middle, being coveted by ten players… all who had way too much money riding on this one hand.

"Come on," the blonde twirled a lock of hair between her fingers, impatiently waiting to find out what her next opponent was going to do.

"I'll take two," the fat man in a suit called out, throwing away two cards from his hand. The dealer dealt him two new cards, turning to Tsunade and letting her know she was free to sluff cards if she wished.

"I'll take two as well," she smiled, tossing away the Five of Clubs and the Jack of Diamonds. The dealer dealt her the two cards she had requested. Picking up the first, Tsunade was disappointed to see the King of Spades. The last card lay on the table. It could be her Ace… or it could be her defeat.

She reached out for the card, and the world erupted into chaos.

An explosion ripped the doors off their hinges, blasting them inwards towards the casino. The large, golden doors became lethal projectiles, ripping through rows of slot machines, gamblers, and tables alike. People began screaming and running for the exits, but Tsunade stayed seated. Turning towards the smoking entrance of the casino to see a large, hulking figure step through the black acrid cloud left behind from the explosion.

**Subject # 0914  
****A.K.A The Bull  
****Real Name: Asuma Sarutobi  
****Kill Count: 22  
****Classification: Assault**

It was a burly man, with a beard and aviator shades. He was wearing a bullet proof vest and a bandoleer of shotgun shells. In his left hand he carried an intimidating looking shotgun, most likely fast action or automatic, in his right hand he held another grenade. The Crone and the mountainous man locked eyes with one another, and then he threw the grenade in her direction.

Tsunade sprang from her seat, rolling over the table and flipping it over, providing a barrier between herself and the next explosion just moments before the grenade rocked the casino, showering cards, poker chips, and debris into the air. A burning card fluttered down in front of Tsunade and she cursed: it was the Ace of Spades. Something told her that this asshole had just cost her a lot of money.

"I'm impressed," the man shouted through the silence.

Apparently everyone had managed to flee the casino because the rest of the room was eerily quiet. Save for the sound of gambling machines clicking and playing music, Tsunade couldn't hear another person in the room, which meant security would be on its way soon. "What?" she called out, "You think I haven't seen a grenade before. I've been doing this a long time. Admittedly I've never seen someone launch a ground assault before. You do know they have cameras, right?"

The man chuckled, "That's what the beard and the sunglasses are for, honey. I'll shave, and no one will recognize me."

"Are you an idiot?" she sighed with exasperation, "They have facial recognition software. Beard or not… you're screwed, dumbass!"

"Humph," the man grunted, turning as a group of Casino security officers came storming in, guns drawn. The man raised his shot gun, and in a barrage of rounds he mowed them all down in seconds.

"Yep," Tsunade thought, "Automatic shotgun. This is gonna be awesome..." She chastised herself for sticking around to allow something like this to happen, but it was too late to do anything about that now. No, what she needed to do at the moment was find a way out of this casino and into a closer quarters room. That way she could use the tight space to her advantage.

The Crone was one of the few players in The Game who was a professional fighter. She knew several forms of martial arts, as well as grappling techniques, military combat, and weapons knowledge. Tsunade owed that to her time as a special forces operative in the Konoha military.

"You gonna come out from behind that table, sweetheart?" the man fired a shotgun blast into the poker table she was hiding behind. It splintered the wood, chunks of it going flying, but, besides shuddering from the blast, the table protected Tsunade from harm.

"Nah," she called out, looking around for a weapon, "You're gonna have to come over here." Off to her right she noticed the wooden utinsil that the dealer used to move poker chips around on the table. Tsunade didn't know what it was called, but as far as weapons went? It was fast, and it would sting when it hit something. Unexpected pain was an effective weapon.

There was the sound of foot steps on broken glass, probably from the slot machines. The man was heading her way. Gripping her weapon tight, she braced herself, listening intently for which direction the man would come from. The sound of his tread informed her that he was coming around from the left, scooting over to that side of the table, she waiting.

The moment the barrel of his shotgun was visible, Tsunade attacked. Bringing the wooden stick up, she slapped the gun away, and it discharged towards the ceiling. Chunks of sheetrock and bits of insulation fell down on their heads, but Tsunade didn't halt. She brought the stick down swiftly on the man's wrist with a loud "WHAP!"

He cried out in pain as the strike hit the flesh of his wrist between his gloved hand and his shirt sleeve, leaving a stinging red welt. Kicking his weapon aside. That had been easier than expected! Tsunade dealt him another strike to the face, "SLAP!", follwed by a whip-like blow to the man's neck.

The huge guy stumbled backwards, bringing up his arms to block the stinging rain of blows she was hailing down on him, as nasty, red marks began to rise on the man's cheek and collar. "Bitch!" he swore, catching the stick and snapping it with a jerk of his hand. He then barreled into her, knocking them both to the floor. Tsunade landed with the man on top of her, barely dodging his fist as it slammed into the carpet beside her head.

She swung both of her hands up, clapping the man on both ears with as much force as she could. The attack stunned the giant, and she push a leg in between them, shoving the brute off of her. He staggered, hitting a Craps table and falling over backwards.

With a groan, Tsunade rolled off of her back and onto her feet, bolting for the doors which led to the kitchens. She could hear the man cursing and shouting as he made to pursue her. She thought fast, hearing the man as he slammed through the doors with such force that they hit the walls.

Grabbing a large skillet that was hanging in front of her, Tsunade spun around swinging the iron pan at the man's head. It connected with a "CRACK!" flooring him.

The large man hit the ground and rolled, obviously trained in combat himself. He came up in a crouch and launched himself at Tsunade, his sheer bulk over powering her as he pinned her against one of the stovetops. She could feel metal and knobs digging into her back, and she brought the iron skillet around again, but the man caught her wrist and yanked it from her grasp.

"You're a lot tougher than I thought you'd be," he grinned, blood pouring from his forehead where she had struck him. "But be a good bitch and die!"

His hands went to her throat, which meant he wasn't protecting his lower body. Rookie mistake after all. Gasping for breath, the blonde brought her knee up into his groin. The brute let go of her with a shout and doubled over in pain.

Tsunade grabbed his head with both hands and slammed it onto the stove, turning on the burner. The gas stove flared to life, instantly searing the side of the mans head. He screeched in pain, swinging wildly with his fists.

He caught Tsunade with a backhand, knocking her over a counter. She tumbled to the tiled floor of the kitchen, landing among a pile of cooking tools: spatulas, whisks… and a knife. She could hear the man's screaming turn into groans of pain. He was heading towards her, and by his labored breathing Tsunade could tell he was pissed.

She scrambled forward, grabbing the knife just as she felt a hand grab hold of her hair at the roots. She was yanked off the floor and thrown backwards, slamming against a large refrigeration unit. The force of the impact against that metal door was unforgiving; she hated herself for it but a cry of pain escaped her lips as she tumbled across the floor.

The man came stalking towards her, murderous intent blazing in his brown eyes. He picked up a large copper pot, raising it over his head to bludgeon Tsunade with.

She kicked out, catching the man's left knee with the heel of her shoe. There was a "snap!" and the man howled in pain. Pushing up from the tile, she was sad to see that she'd managed to break the heel of her shoe… but fortunately it had broken off in the man's knee. By sheer luck, her kick had hit the bearded man perfectly between the knee cap and the joint, lodging her shoe's heel there and effectively eliminating her attacker's ability to move that leg.

As his weight was no longer supported by his left leg, the man collapsed. He was growling, trying to push himself back up onto his feet; Tsunade pounced, bringing her knife slashing for his throat. The man brought a gloved hand up, blocking the knfe, but he received a vicious gash across his palm.

Unfortunately her momentum, paired with her balance being thrown off by her missing heel, carried Tsunade directly into the man's grip. He punched her hard, straight in the chest, before slamming her forcefully to the ground. Climbing atop her, he brought his hands to her throat, grinning victoriously, "I'm going to enjoy this! I'm gonna watch the life leave your eyes, oh… so slowly!"

"Fuck you!" she gasped, spitting in the man's face. His hands tightened on her neck, smearing his blood all over her, and Tsunade could feel the lack of oxygen starting to affect her brain. The tendons in her neck were straining, if she didn't do something soon…

She gripped her knife and, with a cry of anger, swung it upwards, embedding the blade in the man's throat.

He staggered backwards, sputtering and spitting blood as even more of the red fluid sprayed from the knife in his carotid artery. Still, he wasn't dead yet, and Tsunade never left things unfinished. Getting up to her feet, she reached down and picked up the large copper pot… the one he had intended to use on her. She raised it over her head, enjoying the look of fear in the man's eyes, and she brought forcefully down. There was a satisfying "CRUNCH!", the man's body twitched slightly, and then he was still.

Tossing the bloody cookware to the floor, Tsnade leaned back against the counter and breathed, taking in a deep, ragged breath. A choked sob escaped her lips and then she began to laugh hysterically. She was alive. It had been years since she'd been forced to fight tooth-and-nail like that. She'd grown complacent, but apparently The Game was breeding new and deadly players, and if she didn't stay serious… the blonde woman looked around at the ruined kitchen and the body on the floor. It could have been so much worse. She could have easily been that corpse.

She walked over to the corpse, rummaging around in it's pockets until she found his silver player's ring. She pocketed it with a tired smile, relishing a victory, even if it was hard won.

Letting out a sigh, Tsunade kicked off her ruined shoes and walked out of the kitchen. She had two priorities at the moment: first, she was going up to the security office and erasing the footage of her fight with that asshole; then she was going to get out of here, buy some painkillers in the Undermarket, and then drink herself to sleep. Seeing as how she'd just killed the person after her, Tsunade was looking forward to twenty-four hours of drunken rest.

* * *

**A/N -**

**I know… I expect to hear: but why would you give Asuma a role and then not even let him do anything really? **

**Um, because I wanted to.**

**He fit the physical description of this fight when it came into my head. Besides, he got to kinda kick the crap out of Tsunade, so he shouldn't get to complain. (not like he can… cause… he's dead!)**

**A lot of people were telling me that they wanted to see more action, and really, I didn't have much planned. Naruto has a little here and there, Sasuke has a little here and there… but all in all? The next week is looking light on the action, so my mind was all "Why not let Tsunade have the spotlight for this week's dose of action?" **

**I agreed, and well… this is what you got! Please Review! See you tomorrow!**


	38. Welcome Home

Naruto exited the cab which had brought him home from the hospital. He'd stayed with Kiba until visiting hours were over because the brunette had insisted that he would die of boredom if Naruto left him alone. Now it was dark, and Naruto hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. His stomach grumbled loudly, reminding the blonde that it didn't like being neglected.

He hated missing meals, but he'd been having fun. Talking to Kiba was easy, and, while Naruto wasn't certain of his feelings for the brunette, he definitely enjoyed spending time with Kiba. Walking up the steps to his door, Naruto reminded himself that he needed to get it replaced-the bullet holes from the night he'd been shot at still pockmarked his front porch. After fishing into his pocket for his keys, Naruto's attention was diverted off into the darkness.

The bushes had rustled.

It was probably a cat, but after the past events he wasn't willing to take a chance. Drawing his gun, Naruto walked back down the steps and brought his weapon up to point at the shrubs, "Who's there?"

* * *

Gaara had been waiting for the KBI agent to return for the past few hours, and, once the blonde had appeared from the inside of a yellow cab, Gaara could feel a sense of anxiety wash over him. What if this was a mistake? Naruto Uzumaki had been fairly straight laced the first time they met, adamant about following orders and doing things by-the-book. If Gaara appeared on his front porch, the blonde would most likely slap handcuffs on him.

The prospect of being locked up did not appeal to Gaara at all. Deciding that it would probably be best that he didn't go through with his idea, the redhead backed up, preparing to leave, when he accidentally made too much noise, bumping into the base of the shrub behind him. He froze instantly, not moving, not breathing, not daring to make a sound for fear that Naruto might find him.

It was a justified fear, because the blonde had drawn his weapon and come straight toward the bushes.

"Who's there?" Naruto called out, gun raised.

The blonde was dressed like he'd just gotten off of work. His tie was loose, his suit jacket open, the top button on the collar of his white shirt was undone. He hair was messy, shining golden in the glow of the porch light. Gaara should have tried to slip away, but he couldn't stop looking at the angelic features of the man before him.

This was a bad time to start developing a crush; his mind informed him. Gaara had never shown an interest in anyone. He'd never even found someone attractive-not guys, not girls. But here he was, hiding in a bush with a gun pointed at his head, and Gaara Kaze was discovering that he found someone to be insanely attractive, and not only that… apparently he was gay, because that someone was another male. The analytical part of his brain found this to be highly amusing and worth studying at a later date, provided he wasn't shot by the blonde agent in front of him.

"I'm losing my mind," Naruto muttered to the night, lowering his gun and walking back to the porch steps.

Gaara let out a quiet sigh of relief, glad that he hadn't been discovered and thankful for the cover of darkness. It had kept him from being seen, which meant he could flee the moment Naruto was inside. His luck was turning around for the better it would seem.

In fact, Gaara's luck was rather incredible at this moment in time, because if he had decided to leave when Naruto had turned around; then the redhead would not have been there to witness what happened next.

A shadow detached itself from the tree in Naruto's yard, silently running towards the blonde. At first, Gaara thought he was seeing things, but then he caught a glimpse of silver, the shine of a light glinting off of a weapon of some sort. Naruto didn't even know he was in danger, and Gaara was too far away to do anything.

Thankfully his body reacted without thinking, and Gaara shouted, "Watch out!"

* * *

Naruto started at the sudden shout, spinning around just in time to catch the shadowy attacker. Naruto used both hands to stop himself from being stabbed, holding onto the wrist of the hand carrying the knife. His attacker was completely clothed in black, wearing gloves and a ski mask which made it almost impossible to have noticed the person if he was hiding in the dark.

The black-clad man was several inches taller than Naruto, and having caught the blonde off-guard, he was beginning to overpower him. Adding a second hand onto the hilt of the knife, the attacker began to put all his weight behind the knife, pushing the blade closer and closer to Naruto's chest.

Breathing heavily with the amount of effort he had to put into holding the blade back, Naruto started to panic. His gun was pointed toward the wall, which meant he couldn't shoot his attacker, and if he tried to move the gun to get a good aim, he would end up getting stabbed because he wouldn't have both hands pushing against the weight of the man towering over him.

Naruto dropped to one knee, slowly losing this battle of strength. If he didn't do something soon, he wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer!

Then, out of nowhere, another figure came charging out of the darkness and tackled the knife wielding man. He couldn't be certain, but Naruto thought he had seen a flash of crimson hair, but it was too quick to be certain. The two figures tumbled down the steps, grunting and struggling, as they landed sprawled at the base of the porch. Naruto staggered to his feet, rushing forward to see what had happened.

The black clad man had ended up on top, and the person at the bottom was none other than… "Gaara!?" Naruto looked at the younger man in shock. What was he doing here?

* * *

Gaara groaned as his back hit the pavement and then the weight of the other man landed on top of him. The force of the fall left him dazed, and he wondered why in the hell he had left the safety of the bushes? Oh, yeah! That's right, Naruto was about to get stabbed by this assassin who was now straddling Gaara and was still armed with a knife.

The redhead struggled, trying to throw the other man off, but his small stature meant that his physical strength was nothing compared to the masked man. The figure in black pulled back a fist and struck Gaara across the face, causing him to see stars. He then raised the knife over Gaara's chest, and the redhead froze.

So this was it? It all ended. He was going to die because for the first time in his life Gaara had given a damn about another person. Now that was a prime example of irony. The redhead shut his eyes, hoping that it would make his death seem less frightening.

There was an exploding noise. It was so loud; Gaara thought it had to be a cannon, or a some large artillery gun. Then suddenly the weight that had pinned him to the ground disappeared. Hesitantly opening one eye, Gaara saw Naruto standing over him, a smoking gun pointed at the corpse of the man clothed in black. The blonde had shot their attacker at point blank range, and what had once been a head covered in a ski mask was now little more than half of a head and some tattered remnants of black fabric.

It was a gory, gruesome sight, but Gaara had never been more thankful to be alive.

"You alright?" Naruto asked, looking down at him.

Gaara nodded silently, still too shaken to move.

"Good," the blonde reached out a hand, and Gaara accepted it. Naruto pulled him to his feet; Gaara was wobbly for a second, his head spinning. He had to hold onto the blonde agent's shoulder to keep his balance.

"Easy there," Naruto said softly, "Looks like your bleeding."

"He hit me," Gaara muttered, looking down at the corpse and then shaking his head to try and clear some of the groggy feeling.

"I can tell," Naruto frowned, holstering his gun, "Come on, lets get you inside. You've got a nasty cut on your cheek. We'll see if we can't clean that up."

"You're not going to arrest me?" Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"Currently not a government agent," Naruto shrugged, "So, frankly, fuck the rules!"

"Oh…" Gaara furrowed his brow in confusion. If Naruto wasn't a KBI agent anymore; then that changed his original plan. Was it still safe to stay with the blonde? It would be for at least 24 hours… after all, that kill had bought Naruto some time.

"You coming?" Naruto looked tired as he climbed the steps.

"What about…" the redhead pointed at the body. It wasn't like they could just leave a corpse on Naruto's front lawn.

"I'll call someone once we're inside. They've put someone else on the case," Naruto laughed bitterly, "He can deal with this shit for a change."

* * *

**A/N -**

**Told you! Gaara and Naruto's meeting would lead to this eventually. I'm starting gearing things up towards something big, so you can expect there to be several interlocking scenes from here on out. I'm going to continue changing up the POVs, but you can expect the story to start feeling like it is more interconnected.**

**Not much to say today. Hope you like the update, and I will see you all tomorrow.**

**Read/Review/Recommend me to your friends! :)**


	39. The New Investigators

**Progress! 'nough said.**

* * *

The kitchen was periodically lit up by the red and blue flashing lights of the governmental vehicles which had converged outside Naruto's home. He'd called the KBI the moment he had gotten Gaara inside, instructing the redhead to remain inside his bedroom until he was finished talking to the federal agents. It hadn't taken them very long to show up, and Naruto was rather surprised to find that Neji Hyuga had shown up himself.

The long haired brunette stepped out of a black sedan, his white suit standing out in the darkness. He took one look at the dead man on Naruto's lawn, sighed, and then walked up onto the porch, ringing the doorbell. It took Naruto several moments to answer the door; when he did, Neji regarded him coldly.

"You shot another one?"

Naruto frowned, "He didn't give me much choice."

"No, considering his size and your current state," Neji looked at Naruto's mussed clothing, "I would assume he got the jump on you?"

"You assume correctly," Naruto nodded.

"Well there is no identification on the body," the brunnette pulled out a recording device from his pocket, speaking into it as he spoke to Naruto, "No distinguishing features. From the head wound it will be difficult to get a facial profile which we will need to run through the criminal database. We'll try to get a sketch artist to do what they can after the coroner is done with the body."

"I would have captured him if I could have," the blonde said sternly.

"I'm certain you would have," Neji's voice said something different than his words. "I'm going to leave a protective detail outside tonight."

"Don't bother," Naruto sighed, "According to the rules, I have twenty-four hours now before someone else starts to come after me."

"I see," Neji's silver eyes stared at Naruto, looking for signs that the other Agent was trying to keep something from him.

"You're men would be better used elsewhere, at least for tonight," the blonde said pointedly, obviously annoyed at Neji's mistrust. "That's all I meant by it."

"Perhaps," the brunette smiled, "But I'd much rather take the precaution. Please don't leave town, Mr. Uzumaki. I may have further questions."

With that, Neji took the steps and left Naruto standing at his door.

He was met on the sidewalk by two KBI agents. One was a woman in her twenties. The other was a man, pale and tale; he wore an high-collared trench coat over his suit, and even though it was midnight he had a pair of round sunglasses on.

"Ten Ten," Neji smiled at the woman. "Shino," he shook the man's hand, "I see you made excellent time."

"It's not often that the top of our class calls for a favor," Shino's voice was tinged with curiosity, "Beside, Capital City doesn't have anything near as exciting as this."

"I wouldn't be so certain," Neji frowned, "From what I've read up on this case, it would appear that there are serial killers across the country competing in this event."

"How is that even possible?" Ten Ten questioned, "Surely something like that wouldn't have gone unnoticed."

"You would think," Neji sighed, motioning them towards the black car, "But many of the murder cases from the past ten years have all gone unsolved either for lack of motive, suspect, or evidence. There is rarely any linking factor to them. Sometimes you can find a pattern in the murders, a similar killing method, but for the most part the victims are completely random, the murder weapons are different…"

"So you have unknown killers, commiting an unknown number of murders," Shino mused. "Interesting. How does one even start such an investigation."

"I'm lucky enough that I have two previous investigators' work to go on," Neji smirked.

"Oh? What happened to them? Why aren't they here consulting," Ten Ten chuckled, "Did they give up?"

"One was killed," Neji shut her up with a stern gaze, "The other lives in that house right over there. Our John Doe tonight attempted to kill him."

"As part of this game?" Shino probed.

"Assumedly." Neji opened the car door, motioning for them to enter. Ten ten entered first, taking the seat with her back to the driver, crawling in and smoothing out her charcoal suit jacket. Shino followed taking the seat on the far side, looking at nothing in particular. Neji was the last one inside, shutting the door behind him and telling the driver an address which they needed to go.

"Alright," Ten Ten bit her bottom lip, "So be honest with me. What's the chances of one of us getting killed."

"High," Neji didn't sugar coat it. "Two agents attached to this case have already been killed, another shot… Agent Uzumaki has had suspects make multiple attempts on his life."

"How many are we talking?" Shino took off his glasses, cleaning them with a handkerchief.

"Three attempts within a two week period, including tonight."

"Different people?" Shino pursued his line of questioning, trying to piece together certain bits of information that still eluded him.

"Yes," Neji nodded, "Both in public and in private."

"So the fact that we're government agents doesn't phase these people?" Ten Ten looked worried.

"Their faced with a choice of kill or be killed. Given that kind of motivation, we can assume that it wouldn't matter if we were the Prime Minister."

"Then back to my original question," Shino interrupted Ten Ten before she could ask another stupid, pointless question. "Where to we begin our investigation?"

"At a diner in the West District," Neji informed them.

"Why?" both of the other agents asked in tandem.

"Because there was a murder there that is believed to have been the work of a player," the silver-eyed brunette explained. "It was an amateur kill when compared to other case files I've reviewed. I think there is evidence that was missed by local police. We find this killer, and we bring whoever they are into custody. It's the fastest way to make a break in this case."

"So basically we're driving all night then?"

"Yes," Neji smirked, "Don't tell me your tired?"

"Not at all," Shino shrugged. He wasn't one to complain about needless things. Ten Ten did enough of that for everyone.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're insulting me," the woman asked, glaring at the spectacled man.

"Because you're paranoid," Shino chuckled, not willing to admit that Ten Ten had been absolutely correct.

"You two may want to catch some sleep nonetheless," Neji informed them, "I have a feeling there won't be many chances to do so in the next few days."

* * *

**A/N -**

**And Neji has a team! Huzzah! Now I have more KBI agents. Aren't I a smart cookie?**

**Not much to say today. Give me reviews, and I will be a happy writer! You may get delicious Naruto/Gaara goodness tomorrow, or perhaps more Sasuke manipulations? Who knows? I'm feeling spontaneous.**


	40. Guest Accommodations

Naruto stepped back inside his house, locking the deadbolt and leaning against the door. He took a moment to collect his thoughts, swearing under his breath about the protective detail outside. He didn't want anyone to know about Gaara, though it wasn't like many people knew what the boy looked like. The only agents with him that day had been Shikamaru and a few rookies, none of whom were part of his protective detail. Still, it wouldn't do good for Neji to find out that Naruto had a visitor tonight. That would lead to a slew of unwanted questions.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Naruto pushed off of the door and headed towards his bedroom.

The blonde stopped that hallway bathroom, grabbing his first aid kit, and then walked into the bedroom to find Gaara reading a book. It was one of Naruto's favorites: The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum.

"Enjoying yourself?" A wry smile played out across Naruto's face. He was kind of glad to see someone reading his books. Even though he enjoyed reading, and had quite and extensive personal collection, Naruto didn't have much time to read anything other than case files, or at least he hadn't had free time until he'd been suspended.

"It is… interesting," Gaara admitted, shutting the book but making certain to save his place. "I haven't gotten very far."

"It only gets better after the first chapter," Naruto went to sit on the bed, opening the kit and pulling out a sterile wipe, some antibiotic cream, and a bandage patch for treating the gash on Gaara's cheek. "Why don't you let me take care of that?" the blonde pointed at Gaara's face.

"You don't have to," the redhead murmured.

"I insist," Naruto refused to take no for an answer, "Consider it a small thank you."

"Thank you?" Gaara looked confused.

"Yeah."

"For?"

"Saving my life," Naruto said calmly as if it were obvious.

"You saved mine," Gaara countered, "Shouldn't that make it a wash?"

"Not in my book," Pointing at the spot next to him on the end of the bed, Naruto gave the younger man a look that wouldn't allow arguing.

Gaara relented and sat on the bed, not saying anything.

"I take it that was you in the bushes?" Naruto asked, gently rubbing Gaara's cheek with the sterile wipe to remove the dried blood. As more of it was removed, Naruto could see that it wasn't a deep gash, rather a superficial wound. The bruise would be bad; it had already started to turn dark purple and compared to Gaara delicate, pale skin, that didn't appear to have a single blemish, the bruise looked horrifying.

"Yes," Gaara said sharply, wincing as Naruto applied antiseptic to the cut on his face. It burned! The process of treating his injury actually hurt more than the injury itself, which Gaara didn't like at all.

"Any reason in particular why you were there?" Naruto asked, "Or where you just hanging out with my neighborhood raccoons?"

Gaara squirmed away from Naruto's attention, wishing the whole ordeal were over, "I didn't see any raccoons. I was just... hoping you would show up."

"I guess I'm lucky you were there, then."

"You're lucky I didn't run away after you pointed a gun at me," Gaara smirked.

"That too," Naruto chuckled. He picked up the tube of antibiotic cream, sqeezed a little bit of it onto his index finger, and then gingerly applied it to Gaara's cheek, "This should numb your skin, so it shouldn't hurt so much. It'll probably take a few minutes to go into effect." The blonde ripped open the bandage, pulling off the plastic that protected the adhesive edges and then he applied it over the cut to keep the air out. "There, good as new!" At least since it had been treated, Gaara wouldn't have to worry about the cut getting infected. The boy looked too handsome, in Naruto's opinion, to have something like this destroy his good looks.

"Thanks," Gaara shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what he should be doing in this sort of situation.

"My pleasure," Naruto smiled happily, reaching around to grab the trash and clean up after himself. He then closed the first aid kit and walked back into the bathroom, throwing away the trash and putting the kit back where it belonged. He walked back into his bedroom to find that Gaara hadn't moved from his spot on the bed.

"So…" Naruto ventured, "You weren't visiting my raccoons, and I assume you weren't there to admire my Hibiscus flowers."

"No." Gaara said flatly, but that was all he said.

"Gonna make me guess why you're here?" The blonde joked.

Gaara looked up at him with his emerald eyes, obviously wondering if he could get away with that option.

"Look," Naruto went back to the bed, sitting down next to Gaara, "I'm not going to turn you into the KBI. I promise, but I meant what I said before. I can help you, and I think you can help me. Is that something you'd want?"

The redhead was silent for several long minutes, during which time Naruto wondered what exactly was going through the other man's head. Perhaps Gaara had decided he couldn't trust Naruto after all? Maybe the redhead had an ulterior motive? Gaara could be scoping out Naruto's house in order to sell the information in the Undermarket. There was no telling, and the logical part of Naruto's mind told him that he should have turned Gaara into the KBI when Neji had arrived; however, Naruto had been listening to the logical part of his brain his entire life, and look where that had gotten him.

"Yes." The word was spoken barely louder than a whisper.

Snapping out of his daze, Naruto almost thought he'd imagined hearing Gaara speak. "I didn't quite catch that."

"I would…" Gaara said a little louder, "I would like it if I could help you."

"Okay," Naruto nodded, his smile returning. This was progress. He might not be on the case, but if Gaara could provide him with some leads, then he might could pass them on to Shikamaru. Naruto hadn't heard from the spiky-haired Junior agent in a few days, but that was probably because Agent Nara was keeping his head low and trying not to get on Neji's bad side. "I know it's pretty late," Naruto yawned, his own body reminding him of all the stress it had been through today, and he was exhausted. "Could we meet up in the morning?"

"No!" Gaara said quickly, looking a bit terrified.

"Whoa there! Calm down," the blonde was a little shocked. Gaara hadn't show that much emotion all night.

"Sorry," Gaara ran both hands through his short, crimson hair, holding them there as he took a deep breath, "I just… I haven't slept for two days."

"Cripes!" Naruto gave the redhead a look of pity, "Why?"

"I haven't felt safe," Gaara admitted, "The City… it's loud, and people are always around."

"And you've been living alone in the forest for six years," Naruto understood completely. His team had uncovered dozens of traps around Gaara's cabin, all of them quite lethal and much more efficient than that snare trap that Gaara had pulled on the investigation team. It was further proof that Gaara hadn't been lying that day. The boy had told Naruto that he had only defended himself. If Gaara was a coldblooded killer, with all the trap buried around his cabin, Naruto was certain that the boy could have killed almost every person in the clearing that day. Instead, Gaara had used a non-lethal trap and escaped; no matter what his KBI training told him, Naruto was certain that Gaara could be trusted.

Gaara puffed out his cheeks, obviously wanting to say something. "I…" the redhead started, clenching his hands together, grabbing up handfuls of Naruto's comforter, "I was hoping I could stay here."

The request caught the blonde off guard. "Um… I don't mind, but why would you want to stay here?"

"Because no one is going to be coming after you, at least… not tonight."

"And they wouldn't think to look for you here," Naruto nodded. Staying here would help Gaara to feel safe, and Naruto wanted to gain the other man's trust. There was only one problem, "Ok, so… I don't mind if you stay, but this is the only bedroom." Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, Naruto looked around at his small home. The KBI didn't pay him enough to purchase a house, so he was renting this one bedroom, one bathroom unit. His home was part of several townhouses which were all connected together, and it was the closest rental complex located near the Bureau headquarters; thus, it allowed the blonde to save money for the future.

Unfortunately this meant Naruto's home didn't really accommodate guests.

Actually, Naruto didn't have friends, so he'd never had the need for guest accommodations. He didn't even have a couch, rather he had a recliner for when he watched television, which was a rare occurrence. Now that he thought of it, Naruto figured he could sleep in the recliner, it wasn't uncomfortable.

"Tell you what," Naruto smiled, "Take the bed. I'll sleep in the living room. That way, if someone tries to break in they'll have to go through me."

"That doesn't seem fair," Gaara muttered.

"Beg your pardon?"

"It's your home," Gaara pointed out, stating the obvious, "I'll sleep on the floor."

"No way!" Naruto flustered, crossing his arms, "Naruto Uzumaki doesn't let a guest sleep on the floor."

It was odd, here Naruto was arguing about sleeping arrangement with a serial killer. He should be arresting Gaara, taking him down to the Bureau, and Neji should be questioning him right now... but Naruto couldn't do it. There was something about the redhead that radiated innocence. It was kind of unsettling.

"Hey," Naruto spoke up, intent on changing the subject, "Why were you out there in the forest?"

"Because," Gaara looked down at the floor, "I didn't want to kill anyone."

Naruto believed him. There was such a heavy sorrow in Gaara's voice and in the way his shoulders slumped, as if he were defeated by the sheer fact that he was a part of The Game. "Didn't work?" Naruto asked, knowing the answer, but still looking for more. The blonde didn't know what he was looking for, but if he could get Gaara talking, perhaps he would know it once he heard it.

"No," Gaara laughed bitterly. "The Game doesn't let you just walk away. Players found me… they _always_ find you. I managed to set enough traps to defend myself. I warned them you know?"

"Who?"

"They people who came to kill me," Gaara locked eyes with Naruto, "I warned them just like I warned you. I told them not to come any closer. You… were the only one who ever stopped."

"How many?" Naruto whispered.

"Deaths?" Gaara asked for clarification, and when the blonde nodded he continued. "Eighteen."

"Wait, you've been playing for six years and you've only killed eighteen people," Naruto was shocked. He had expected the number to be much higher.

"You'd be surprised how long it took people to find me," Gaara smirked, "The first one didn't actually find my cabin until a year after I had lived there. He only found me then because a farmer from the local market recognized me and identified my picture from a high school yearbook."

"Bummer," Naruto didn't really know what to say.

"Buried them all, you know?"

"What?" the blonde looked frightened, as if he had just heard some creepy confession.

Gaara chastised himself. He'd said that with such an emotionless tone that it had sounded creepy even to himself. "I mean I gave them proper burials," the redhead blushed, embarrassed at having frightened Naruto. "I made a small cemetery out in the woods… gave them last rites. I felt like it was the right thing to do; that I was somehow keeping my conscience clean. Now that I think about it, it was a selfish way to justify a loss of life."

Naruto frowned, "I don't think so."

He stared at Gaara intently. There was no way that this kid was selfish. The more Naruto looked at the redhead, the more he was certain that Gaara had destroyed his own life in an attempt to keep people from dying. That was pretty damn selfless where he was concerned. "How many other players out there do you think would give a damn? Most of them just kill and leave a body lying in a dark alley. You? You at least gave a damn. You treated them like human beings." Naruto nodded, those words felt right. "As far as I'm concerned, Gaara," the blonde grinned. "You're alright in my book."

Gaara returned the grin, "I think that was a rather high compliment, coming from such a straight-laced agent of the KBI."

"Straight-laced?" Naruto laughed, "You have no idea how many rules I broke just to come after you."

"Was it worth it?" Gaara asked.

"I'd like to think it will have been," Naruto nodded.

The two of them sat there in silence, both of them going over everything that had just transpired. Gaara was still a little bit shocked with how everything had turned out. Naruto was actually a decent man, not that this was surprising. What had surprised Gaara was how Naruto viewed life. The blonde saw people as individuals; each human life was something of value, something to be treasured. That was a rare thing to find in society. So many people only looked out for their own interests, even Gaara was guilty of that.

But here was Naruto: not only had he insisted on cleaning Gaara's wound, but he had offered to let Gaara sleep in his bed, and then he had offered comfort when the redhead was lamenting his sins. What kind of person did that? Shouldn't Naruto be appalled, horrified with the kind of person Gaara had become?

Gaara took a chance and decided to sneak a look at the blonde next to him. What he found was a pair of sapphire blue eyes staring at him with such intensity that Gaara was afraid his heart would stop… in fact he was certain that it had skipped a beat.

"What are you thinking?" Naruto asked, tilting his head to the side out of curiosity.

"Um…" Gaara searched for anything to say, his mind still really from being hit by the dazzling beauty of the blonde agent's gaze. "The bed."

"The bed?" Naruto chuckled.

Really? That was what his brain came up with. Gaara wanted to crawl into at hole and disappear. How much more embarrassing was this going to get? "Yeah," the redhead muttered, trying to salvage something from his slip up, "I was just thinking that it was kind of… big. It would be stupid for someone to be uncomfortable."

Naruto laughed, though it was on the verge of being a giggle. It took a lot of effort to contain it and prevent such a feminine sound from escaping his mouth.

True, Naruto's bed was a king size matress. The blonde had spent an entire paycheck on it, and the bed took up a large majority of the space in his small bedroom, but hearing those words come out of Gaara's mouth had to have been one of the most adorable things Naruto had heard in his entire life.

"Are you asking to sleep with me?" the blonde teased.

"No!" Gaara's face turned bright right, and he quickly moved his body away from facing Naruto, unwilling to let the other man see him blush. "I was just thinking practically!"

"Calm down," Naruto laughed. It was too easy to tease the other man. "I was just having some fun at your expense." Getting up from the bed, Naruto took off his suit jacket, reaching into the closet for a hanger with which to put it up. He then proceeded to untie his necktie, placing it on the tie rack, and then he started unbuttoning his shirt.

"What are you doing?" Gaara's face turned even redder if that was possible. Naruto's shirt was completely unbuttoned now, and the blonde took it off throwing it into a hamper in the corner. Gaara knew he should give the older man some privacy, but he couldn't take his eyes off the half naked Naruto.

"Getting ready for bed," Naruto said calmly, "Do you have anything with you, or do you need a change of clothes. I'm sure I have something that can fit you. I may even have a spare toothbrush."

"No, but thank you," Gaara got up, heading for the door, but them he remembered the KBI agents out side, "Crap…"

"What?"

"I left my bag in the bushes."

Without a word, Naruto went outside. He was gone for a few minutes, and Gaara could hear him talking to someone. A few moment later, Naruto walked back into the bedroom carrying Gaara's satchel.

"You went out there… like that?" Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"Yep," Naruto didn't seem to think anything of it. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Gaara opened his back and pulled out his toothbrush, "I'm going to… go in there." Pointing the toothbrush at the bathrom, the redhead hurried away, shutting the door behind him. Taking his precious time brushing his teeth, Gaara definitely dreaded going back out there. What had he been thinking? Share the bed? That was so totally gay! A nagging voice in the back of his head told him not to worry about it, because he was gay, but Gaara was fairly certain that the blonde wasn't.

Beside, Naruto was just… unsettling.

The blonde had this way of making Gaara feel like an open book, as if Naruto could just read everything about him, and then there was the honesty. Something inside his head made Gaara just blurt out the truth to whatever Naruto asked him. Why? Who did that with a complete stranger?

"You alright in there?" Naruto knocked on the door.

"I'm fine," Gaara muttered, spitting out toothpaste. He'd been brushing the same spot for the past minute, so he might as well finish up. Running water over the bristles to clean them, Gaara then screwed the cap back on his toothpaste and them opened the door to the bathroom.

Naruto was standing right out side, clad in only a pair of bright orange boxer briefs, obviously waiting for his own turn to use the bathroom. Gaara's brain threatened to go into overload, and he felt like steam was probably pouring from his ears. Then, almost like the overload shut down all common sense, Gaara snorted, covering his mouth with this hand.

"What?" Naruto looked around selfconsciously.

"Orange?" Gaara smirked, "Really?" He walked past the blonde into the bedroom, his body shaking with silent laughter. So, Naruto Uzumaki was apparently an exhibitionist.

"For your information," Naruto called from the bathroom, obviously talking while brushing his teeth because his words were kind of slurred and Gaara could hear water running, "I happen to really like vibrant colors! It's not my fault the Bureau makes me wear a suit and tie."

Gaara just shook his head in disbelief, knowing that the image of the tanned, muscular body and the orange undergarments was going to haunt him in his sleep. The redhead set his satchel on the side of the bed, wondering if he should sleep in his clothes. "If the blonde doesn't seem to mind," he decided, "Why should I?" Gaara kicked off his shoes and decided to get comfortable.

Removing his t-shirt, Gaara folded it up and laid it next to his bag, then he took off his black jeans and did the same thing to them. He was removing his socks when he heard a snicker behind him. Apparently Naruto had finished in record time, because the blond was now leaning against the doorway to the bedroom. "Really?" the blonde mocked, looking at the satin, low-cut briefs Gaara was wearing, "Red? And you were going to make fun of me for _my_ choice of undergarments?"

Gaara flushed, pulling off his last sock and rolling the pair together. "At least I color coordinate!" He blurted out. It was a lame retort, and Naruto's laugh only highlighted Gaara's embarrassment further.

The blonde didn't say anything, thankfully, he just walked over to the bed, pulled back the covers and hopped in, rolling over onto his side and turning off the lamp. Gaara was left standing next to the bed, the room completely dark save for the soft yellow light of a streetlamp that filtered in through the curtains. The redhead debated whether or not sleeping on the floor was a better idea, but as he felt a yawn coming, he realized just how much he wanted a decent night's sleep.

Stuffing his pride away in favor of the comfy looking mattress, Gaara pulled back the bed sheets and timidly crawled in. The bed was so large that the could have probably fit three more people Naruto's size in between the two of them, but the redhead was certain that he would probably die from exposure to that many Narutos.

Snuggling into the sheets, Gaara found that the bed was actually quite comfy. Sleep would probably come very easily tonight. For the first time, without even realizing it, Gaara wasn't anxious about anything. He was self-conscious, knowing that a half nude, very attractive man was now snoring softly in the same bed next to him, but Gaara didn't even spare a second thought for way lay outside the bedroom; he didn't think once about the dangers the city posed or what he was going to do tomorrow to survive. He just closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N - **

**Naruto you manwhore! (yep, I'm a writer who abuses her characters. What can I say?)**

**This chapter is... odd. I don't know how else to put it. I love this chapter, but I also feel that it is possibly too fluffy for this story. It may get removed or have some of the fluffy parts cut out of it. I haven't decided quite yet. Those of you who are reading it right now, you'll have to let me know if it should stay AS IS, or if I should edit it. Otherwise, I'll make that decision on my own.**

**Please leave me a review if you like the story. Thanks bunches!**


	41. Stake-out

**I have the worst headache today, so this update is probably chocked full of errors. I'm sorry for your eyes having to read it. But hey! I didn't miss my update schedule.**

* * *

"What a dump," Sasuke exclaimed upon seeing the diner. He hadn't realized it that first night, but this was the exact same place where he had bumped into Sakura and found her bloody and near death. This looked like the kind of neighborhood where muggings, murders, and misdeeds would occur frequently. "What were you doing working in a place like this?"

"We're poor," Sakura muttered, resisting the urge to punch the condescending raven. "This was the only job I could find since I don't have a degree."

"Hn," Sasuke looked at the girl with a note of pity.

"Don't give me that look!" Sakura growled, "I made good money there."

"I'm surprised someone didn't attack you sooner," he mused, "You're much to pretty to be working in a slum like this. It would tempt normally honest people…"

Sakura blushed. Had he just called her pretty?

They had arrived outside of the diner before the first rays of sunlight had even peeked over the horizon. Sakura had grumbled about it, claiming that she needed beauty sleep; however; Sasuke wanted to get there and have plenty of time to observe the employees and the patrons. That required that he see the late night, morning, and afternoon shifts.

So far there had been nothing of interest. It was also highly unlikely that there was another player working at the diner. In fact, Sasuke had never heard of a player holding down a fulltime job. Sakura had made a rookie mistake by staying in one place for so long, which added even more to the disbelief Sasuke had about the girl: Why was she still alive?

Of course there was always the chance that she was more dangerous than she appeared. If that were the case, then Sasuke vowed to be much more cautious around her.

"She could be playing me," the raven thought. It wasn't unheard of. Many players used treachery and deceit as weapons.

"So what are we looking for?" Sakura asked, leaning against the brick wall of the alleyway, "We've been here for hours."

"I'm trying to see if anyone exhibits signs of being involved with The Game," he explained.

"You can tell just by looking at people?" Sakura was skeptical.

"The older players are almost impossible to spot. They've been doing it so long that The Game has just become a part of their everyday lives. New players, though?" Sasuke smirked, "New players are easy to spot."

"How?"

"Take yourself…" he offered, "You may not realize it but you constantly look over your shoulder to see if someone is following you. You also keep your shoulders tense, like you're ready to jump out of the way or run at any moment. You aren't relaxed, you aren't calm, and you aren't as inconspicuous at you are trying to be."

"Well…" Sakura looked as if she wanted to protest, but decided against it. "How do you stop doing that?"

"Force of habit?" Sasuke shrugged, "It takes time. You have to train your body to be calm, even when someone is shooting at you. More people have been killed by letting their emotions get the better of them than anything else."

The pink haired girl let out a sigh, "It was easier before that freak jumped me."

"Was that the first time you've ever been in a fight?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He would have assumed, given how long Sakura had been playing, that she'd have been in more than one close call like that.

"Yes," she shuddered remembering her encounter with the cross-dressing man.

"Then how did you get your kills?" Sasuke frowned.

"Easy," it was Sakura's turn to smirk, "I poison them."

"What?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"You'd be surprised how easy it is to get poison," she explained. "So many people don't expect it. A pretty girl flirts with them in a bar, they buy her a drink… normally they would be trying to slip something into mine and they would never expect me to pull the same trick on them. Three days later… heart attack, seizure, vomiting. It looks like natural causes or the flu… and I get a kill on my record."

Sasuke's spine stiffened as he listened to her talk. She spoke about it so calmly, like she didn't care about the pain and agony that poison wrought on a person's body. It was three days of pure hell, not knowing what was going on, and when the person finally died… they were practically ready for it, especially if she were using a home concocted poison.

The raven felt strongly about this. Poison was a cowards way to kill.

Still, that wasn't the thing that was making him angry. No, what was making him angry is that all these little pieces were beginning to fit together. Itachi had died in this diner; Sakura had worked in this diner. Itachi had been poisoned; Sakura's method of murder was poison. There was only one thing that kept Sasuke from strangling the girl right then and there: she was useful at he moment.

Not only that, Sasuke was certain his brother would have been too smart to let himself get poisoned by a complete amateur. Itachi's rules wouldn't have allowed for it. Itachi only took drinks from people he could trust, and Itachi had trusted no one, not even Sasuke. So for Sakura to have been able to poison his brother? Sasuke scoffed at the entire idea.

"I prefer a gun," he finally said, "It's cleaner. You put a silencer on it? One and done. You know that you have the kill, and you don't prolong the person's suffering."

"They don't care how they kill us," Sakura crossed her arms, "Why should I care how I kill them?"

"Because it's cowardly," Sasuke growled. "There's no emotional involvement. You can put the poison in anything and walk away; there is no waiting and making the decision to kill, to see that person's life fade from their eyes after you pulled the trigger or plunged the knife. There is no consequence. Poisoners sleep too easily." Sasuke's remark was an underhanded insult in many ways, but he primarily wanted Sakura to know that she snored, and it was annoying.

"Well," she looked as if Sasuke had just slapped her, "We don't all have the ability to be like you. I couldn't afford a gun before, and who would have sold one to an eighteen year old girl?"

"There are ways of getting anything," Sasuke's voice was emotionless, "If you wanted to… you could have."

"Too late to worry about that now," Sakura sighed, "If it makes you feel better, I'll just shoot people from now on."

"I'll be impressed if you're even capable of shooting someone," Sasuke smirked. For some reason he didn't think Sakura had it in her.

"Screw you, Karasu," the girl sneered, turning back to look at the diner, the street, anything but the smirking man next to her. If she hadn't turned at that moment, she would have missed seeing the black sedan pull up in front of the diner.

Three people got out, all wearing suits, but the man with the long, perfectly straight brown hair and the immaculate white suit looked particularly important. He was flanked on either side by a man who was taller than he was, and a woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties.

"Well, well," Sasuke grinned, "Look what we have here."

"What?" Sakura was suddenly very worried. The raven sounded positively gleeful, and he had never sounded like that.

"That, my dear, is the KBI." He gave Sakura a look, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement, "I would assume they're on to you."

"Oh, shit…" she whispered.

"Heh," Sasuke shook his head, "Let's hope you were good at covering your tracks."

"I have to go back to my apparment!" she freaked, "They could find the poison!"

"I'd suggest running," the raven smirked.

"Ass!" she sneered, but she knew he was right. A cab would only be able to be traced to her and getting one would take to long in this area. She didn't live far, and if the KBI were at the dinner, then they probably weren't at her home yet. She spared one glance at the diner, and the Sakura turned to walked out of the alleyway. "Are you coming?"

"Whatever for?" Sasuke raised an eybrow.

"To help?"

"I've managed to steer clear of the KBI for years," Sasuke crossed his arms, "You're supposed to be convincing me that you're an asset, remember?"

"Fine!" Sakura growled, "I'll deal with it myself."

* * *

**A/N -**

**I think I may have missed an update or two. I can't remember. Oh, well... headache trumps all. It is the victor of any match of Rock, Paper, Scissors! Headache wins. Hands down. .**

**Hopefully this wasn't too unbearable to read.**


	42. Picking up the Scent

**Just a simple update. I gotta get things moving along though... exciting things are a foot!**

* * *

Neji waited outside the diner.

Shino was inside with Tenten questioning the rest of the employees, but. after speaking with the Chef. Neji felt certain he knew who his primary person of interest was. The only problem? That person no longer worked at this diner. The Chef had given Neji the address for the former waitress. Sakura Haruno, and after a few quick phone calls he had confirmed his suspicions.

There had been a recent murder victim discovered in an apartment complex several blocks from here: Mebuki Haruno. The police had no leads, and the woman's daughter had been missing for over a week now, presumed dead. The Chef hadn't seen Sakura since the last time the girl had worked the night shift, and a quick search of the alley behind the diner had turned up several blood stains. He had Tenten take samples, but there was little doubt in the Inspector's mind as to whom the blood belonged to.

Neji was thoroughly convinced that Sakura Haruno was involved in The Game. What he didn't know was whether or not she was still alive, but until they found a body he would operate under the assumption that the girl was out there somewhere. He just had to find Sakura Haruno before someone killed her.

"Hey," Shino appeared beside him.

"Anything useful?" Neji asked.

"Not in the slightest. These people are about as clueless as I've seen," the tall, dark haired man adjusted his spectacles. "It's no wonder that this game thrives. Commoners are oblivious to things that don't affect their lives directly."

"It makes our job more difficult," Neji agreed.

"I want to go and investigate the Haruno girls apartment," Shino stated.

"Any particular reason?"

"I don't trust local police to do a thorough job?"

Neji smirked, "Do you need anyone to accompany you?"

"I'll take Tenten," Shino smirked, "She keeps me from getting bored."

"Careful, Aburame," the long haired brunette chuckled, "You keep needling her, and one of these days she's going to snap. If I remember correctly, Tenten scored higher than you on the hand-to-hand portion of the academy exams."

"Much higher," Shino nodded. "That's half the fun."

"Masochistic," Neji sighed. "You're one twisted son of a bitch."

"Takes one to know one," Shino smirked. "I'll see you back at the Bureau."

Tenten exited the diner at that moment and Shino waved for the girl to follow him. Neji assumed that they were going to travel to the Harunos' residence on foot, seeing as their apartment complex wasn't far, and they would probably call for a car to come pick them up.

"Keep your eyes open," Neji called after them, opening up the back door of the black Sedan. "I don't need to get a call telling my that you've been shot."

"It's nice to know you worry about us," Shino waved him off.

Neji knew there was little need to worry. Shino was one of the fastest and accurate marksmen from the KBI Academy. Unless someone got the drop on him, he would be able to take care of himself. The fact that Tenten was with him? That only served to set Neji's conscience at rest. Hopefully they would return with a lead; after all, Shino never went searching for a lead unless he had good cause to. It was like that man could smell where information was hidden.

"Driver, take me back to Bureau HQ," Neji climbed into the car and shut the door. He had noticed upon their arrival that there was a traffic camera mounted at the intersection down the road; Shino and Tenten were walking by it right now. He knew it was a long shot, but, if that camera had managed to capture a photograph of the Haruo girl, Neji might be able to follow that up as a lead. It was always nice to have options.

* * *

**A/N -**

**I know, not a long update, but the next one will make up for it. Promise! **

**This mainly is a filler chapter, trying to flesh out Neji's team just a little bit more. Leave me a review! I love hearing from you all. :)**


End file.
